


Offsides

by darkestbliss



Category: Muse
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Hockey, M/M, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-05
Updated: 2013-10-05
Packaged: 2017-12-28 12:33:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/992047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkestbliss/pseuds/darkestbliss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes more than a push to get what you really want.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Great job tonight Howard!” The big brunette clapped me on the back as I sat down on the bench to untie my laces, a wide grin spreading across my face as the feeling of success spread through my entire body.

 

“Couldn’t have done it without such a great defenseman!” I said to Chris as he sat down and the rest of the team filed in after the game. The locker room already held the smell of sweat and of course sweet victory.

 

I unlaced my skates, wincing as my ankle was squeezed, swollen after a collision against the wall and some huge guy on the other team. Victory always came at a price, and tonight it was a hurt ankle.

 

“Great way to start off a season Dom, repeat of last year?” Tom asked, adding another smack to my back just as Chris had.

 

“Thanks Tom!” I smiled at my two best friends, the guys I’d known since before I could spell ‘cat’. “And let’s hope so, bring home the state championship! Two years in a row!”

 

The locker room filled with cheering as the entire team pumped themselves up, the first win looking like a precursor to a promising season of hockey. I missed this. The summer was always tough, and the fall season could never come fast enough. There was nothing like the feeling of skating with your teammates, the entire school cheering for you as you maneuvered the puck into the goal of the unwilling opponent. A state championship would just be the cherry on top, something to make my senior year at Landon High School a memorable one.

 

~

 

“Great turnout tonight,” Chris said as he threw his hockey stick over his shoulder and rolled his bag down the street to his car. I walked briskly next to him, trying to keep up with his large steps. My bag rolled behind me, and I practically ran to catch up with him.

 

“Yeah I felt like the whole school was there supporting us!” I huffed, throwing my bag into the back seat and hopping into the passenger side as Chris put his stuff away too.

 

He sat down in the driver’s seat, putting the key into the ignition. “Speaking of support, when are you going to make your little announcement?”

 

“Chris!” I screamed. This was not what I wanted to be talking about. “I don’t know, when the time is right, I guess.”

 

“Dom you can’t hide in the closet your entire life,” he laughed.

 

I blushed and glanced down at my toes. Coming out to my two best friends freshman year had been hard enough, revealing myself to my entire team and school would be impossible. It scared the shit out of me to be honest. And there weren’t any guys I necessarily found myself wanting to date in this school anyway, so why should I? My team trusted me, we all got along great, there was no need for me to make an announcement that would just make everyone uncomfortable around me.

 

“Dom look at me,” Chris said sternly. “Everyone loves you, okay? Nothing bad will come out of this. You just need to man up and get it over with.”

 

“Ha,” I said dryly. “Man up.”

 

“Well as much as you can,” Chris chuckled. “I just want to see you happy, that’s all.”

 

“I’m happy. I promise.”

 

And I was. I loved my life. I loved being the team captain, the ‘school hero’. Hockey was the only sport our school took pride in. The football team was shit, and basketball was a joke. To be the center of all of that, everything our school cheered about and celebrated, it made me feel great.

 

I sighed, Chris’ car running quietly down the street toward my house. For a busy suburb outside Los Angeles on a Friday night, the streets were relatively quiet. We reached my house, and I climbed out, grabbing my bag and sticks.

 

“See you tomorrow morning for open skate?” Chris called out the window.

 

“Yep, I’ll be there at noon, see you there!” I replied with a smile.

 

Chris waved, and I turned to the quiet house. Mom and Dad were in Hawaii celebrating their anniversary and wouldn’t be back for a few more days. I unlocked the door and stepped inside only to be greeted by Hendrix. I dropped my gear and knelt down, scooping up the Boston terrier and squeezing his black and white body.

 

“Hey buddy, I missed you today!” 

 

Hendrix barked softly and licked my face with his slobbery tongue and I giggled, setting him down and giving him a pet. I dropped my jersey and other various items that needed washing in the laundry room, then made my way upstairs to my room, followed closely by my loyal companion. It was time for a long night of homework and studying.

 

~

 

I felt a strong shove from behind, and I whipped around on the ice, laughing and pushing Chris into the wall. A girl who must’ve been no older than 12 stared at us, then whispered and giggled to her hormonal middle school friends. I rolled my eyes, then sped up to Chris. Open skate was always fun, and in a strange way good practice, having to avoid small children, annoying middle schoolers, and first-timers.

 

“Remember taking lessons with that net when we were like 5?” Chris asked, pointing to a small net shoved against the wall in the corner of the rink. I chuckled, sudden nostalgia overcoming me, remembering lessons with Tom and Chris so many years ago.

 

“Hey I had my first goal with that net,” I laughed.

 

“The first of many,” Chris said as we took another lap. 

 

I glanced at my watch, noting we had only a few minutes left before open skate was up. Might as well beat the traffic. Chris and I skated off just as the bell rang and bunches of little kids stumbled and slipped their way off the ice.

 

“Private rink time today?” I asked.

 

“Not sure, probably those frilly little figure skaters like last week. Want to get coffee and watch for a bit?”

 

I rolled my eyes but nodded. Chris always enjoyed watching the girls practice in their, let’s just say, minimal clothing. It wasn’t something I enjoyed, but it made Chris happy so I could deal with it. Seeing my best friend happy was something I enjoyed, I could endure some slutty girls I guess.

 

We sat at a small table just outside the rink, and I wrapped up in my sweatshirt and sipped the bitter, dark, hot liquid, warming my body as the Zamboni made it’s way around the ice. I didn’t pay any attention as some figures made their way onto the ice, but I could tell something was wrong by Chris’ annoyed ‘huff’.

 

“What’s wrong?” I asked, staring questionably at him.

 

“No girls today, just some guy.”

 

“What?”

 

“Must be a private session. Some skinny little dude.”

 

I turned around, to see one lone person skating small circles around the rink, looking relatively at ease. My eyes traced up the slender body to a perfect, round ass (yes it was very very nice). Suddenly the skater had my full attention, and I let myself wander up further, past his small rib cage, and finally to his face. And goddamn he took my breath away. His skin was pale white, and his head of hair was a beautiful, rich, dark brown color, seeming to point in every direction possible. I couldn’t see exact definitions of his face, but yes, this man was beautiful.

 

“Earth to Dominic!” Chris nearly screamed, waving his hand in front of my face.

 

“Whu?” I was confused. Had I spaced out?

 

Chris laughed into his arm, trying to suppress a smile. “Aw Dommie’s got a crush.”

 

“Chris shut up,” I hissed.

 

“Ooh defensive are we?” The big brunette giggled again.

 

“Shush. Who is that? Does he go to our school?” My eyes were transfixed on the skater, gliding effortlessly across the ice, spinning occasionally. My breath hitched as he leapt up, and did some fancy shit in the air, spinning and twisting. I had no idea what any of that was called. I never paid attention to figure skating, but wow it was impressive. Far more impressive than the girls.

 

“I think he’s new this year, but yeah he’s in my computer graphics class. I think his name is Mark or Max or something like that.”

 

“He’s gorgeous,” I whispered, staring greedily at the skater. “Look at his fucking legs and that nice ass.”

 

“Dom ew I don’t want to hear any of that. You need to come out already and get some sassy lady friend to chat about guys with.”

 

“Psh,” I snorted. “Girls are dumb.”

 

“Whatever you say Mr. Rainbow-pants,” Chris said.

 

I rolled my eyes and focused my attention back to the figure skater, clothed in a tight black sports shirt and tight pants. He skated by and I caught a closer look at his face, his pale skin and stunning blue eyes. I felt myself burning up, the coffee suddenly seeming to be way too much. I was infatuated.

 

His body contorted and twisted in ways I wouldn’t think possible, but somehow he did it. He leapt in the air and landed with such precision, never seeming to slip up. Sure I could take a 200 pound hockey player slamming into me and stay on my feet, but jumping five feet in the air was a huge no no. I’d be face first in the ice if I tried any of that.

 

I watched for what seemed like only a few minutes, but before I knew it, Chris was tugging on my sleeve, telling me I’d been staring over a half hour. 

 

“Dom he’s getting off the ice, do you want to get caught staring?”

 

“No,” I said wonderingly, not exactly thinking. “I mean yes?”

 

Chris chuckled. “Come on lover boy, before people get suspicious.”

 

I glared at my best friend, but followed obediently. We made our way to the lockers, and grabbed our skates before heading back to the main area. 

 

There he was, bent over with that  _perfect_ ass sticking up in the air, untying his white figure skates. I felt myself drooling, then shook my head to clear my mind, and followed Chris to the main door, trying to calm my breathing as I scurried past the boy.

 

My try-not-to-look-stupid-while-passing-hottie plan failed, and I stepped on one of the laces of my hockey skates, tripping clumsily. He looked up, and we made eye contact briefly. My heart skipped a beat.

 

“Nice one,” he said, before bending back down to finish untying his skates.

 

_Fuck._

 

I was going to start spending a lot more time at the rink.


	2. Chapter 2

“Come on Dom, please?” the whiny girl pleaded, twirling her finger in her long, over-bleached, dead hair. I turned my head and rolled my eyes at Chris and Tom who were watching from afar, trying to contain their laughter while eating their lunches.

 

“Cate, I already told you, I can’t go. I’m sorry, okay?”

 

“But Dom,  _everyone_ is going to be there, the entire dance team-” I wanted to gag. “the cheerleaders, the football team, everyone. It’s going to be the best party of the year.”

 

God she was so fucking annoying. Everyone (how ironic) knew that no one was going to that party. I regretted asking her to Homecoming my sophomore year so much. But I had to do something to calm the growing suspicions, and asking a girl to a dance seemed to do the trick. But after that night she never left me alone.

 

“Seriously Dom, don’t be a dick, just come? Please?” She stepped closer to me and winked, sticking out her bottom lip. I could’ve puked right there. “For me?”

 

“Cate this is the last time I’m saying it. I can’t.” I quickly spun around on the heel of my shoe to get away from the girl and walked back to Chris and Tom who were now thoroughly enjoying themselves. I rolled my eyes once again and popped open a coca cola can, sipping the fuzzy drink and leaning back on the bench where they sat with a sigh. "You're never going to let that go, will you?" I asked Tom as he continued to sputter into laughter. 

 

"I'm never going to let go of the fact that you actually asked a girl to a dance. A real girl."

 

I sighed. “It’s better than everyone finding out.”

 

Chris shook his head and looked me straight in the eyes. “Dom, you’ve got to do it. Soon.”

 

_Why were they so fucking insistent? Couldn’t I just get through high school then be off on my own?_

 

“I can’t guys, you know that.”

 

“Yes Dom,” said Tom. “You can. You just have this fear that everyone will hate you if you come out. They won’t. Hell, you’re the most popular guy at our school, it’s impossible for anyone to hate you.”

 

I snorted as I took a bite of my sandwich and gazed down at the grass below my feet, barely alive from the frost that had whipped through last week. “Remember when Allen came out last year?”

 

Chris glared at me, legitimately looking angry. “Allen was a dick, he made everyone feel uncomfortable and insignificant, everyone hated him to begin with. It had nothing to do with him being gay.”

 

“Whatever.” I tried to ignore my best friends and focus on my lunch. “I’m happy, everyone is happy, what’s the big deal? I’ll come out in college or something.”

 

“Stubborn,” Tom mumbled.

 

I chuckled, finishing my sandwich off and tossing the wrapper into the trash bin. Chris shook his head with a smile, and gave me a big smack to the back (I don’t know why he does that so much).

 

“Hey skater hottie coming in at three o’clock,” Chris whispered into my ear. My breath hitched, and I set my head down, staring straight at the ground. “Dom chill the fuck out he’s like 30 feet away.”

 

“Who?” Tom chimed in.

 

“Dom has a crush,” Chris sang in a singsong voice.

 

“Christopher,” I snarled under my breath. “Be quiet.”

 

“Ooh Dom he’s wearing a V-neck,” Chris whispered in my ear.

 

My eyes widened, and making sure my hair was slightly over my eyes, I raised my head slowly. Fuck he was gorgeous. He was sitting with one of the girls on the figure skating team, and my jaw dropped at the way his translucent skin contrasted with his dark blue jeans, black hoodie, and black V-neck tee shirt, his chest peaking out from underneath the fabric. It should be illegal to be that beautiful. I could feel a tightness growing and I casually moved my physics textbook over my lap to hide anything that might show. I shouldn’t have kept on looking at him. I should’ve stopped. But I couldn’t.

 

I was aware of my two best friends snickering beside me but I couldn’t break my gaze from that perfect human being just sitting there talking to some girl like he’s just some normal guy. 

 

“Isn’t he new?” Tom asked Chris.

 

“Yeah, he seems like a real smartass. At least that’ve what I’ve heard from others.”

 

I felt my eyes start to dry up, and I blinked to add moisture, before returning my stare to no named hottie. He just, fucking sat there. Talking in all his beauty and perfection. Did he not realize how beautiful he was?

 

I blushed, realizing just how pathetic my thoughts were. But I guess it made sense, never actually finding someone else legitimately attractive before. There was the occasional “Wow he’s really cute” moment but I had never felt so glued to someone just from their looks.

 

“Dom you look like you just discovered masturbation or something, calm down,” Tom said. “You don’t even know the guy’s name, and like Chris said, he might be a dick.”

 

I shook my head, and broke my stare at the boy who looked so perfect. I turned to Tom, and his eyes were wide, the big brown orbs filled with worry.

 

“What?” I asked, confused, not really understanding why Tom was looking at me like that.

 

“Don’t get involved with someone who won’t treat you nice.” I rolled my eyes, and Tom grabbed my wrist. “Dom I’m serious, don’t.”

 

_I hadn’t even talked to the guy and they were already assuming I was going to be “involved” with him?! What was this, a dating website?_

 

“You guys are ridiculous. He’s probably really nice, you’ve never met him, he might be a really good guy.”

 

“Ask him on a date and find out for yourself,” Chris suggested with a wink as he got up and disposed of his trash.

 

I sighed. They really didn’t understand. I had my reasons for hiding. I glanced at my watch, gathering my books and getting up from the bench.

 

“Whatever, I’ll see you guys at practice,” I said, leaving my two best friends behind as I made my way to class.

 

~

 

I watched as Tom drove out of the parking lot and sped into town. The streets were mostly deserted and darkness had begun to fall, the early December sky a bit chilly. I walked back into the rink, exhausted after a long practice and in desperate need of a hot shower, but I had made a commitment. I had my reasons, of course.

 

“Hey Dom, sorry we had to do this tonight and not in the morning, something came up.”

 

I turned around and smiled. “It’s alright coach, I’m just honored you asked me to be a part of this!”

 

Coach Hamilton gave me a big smile, and we made our way to a place beside the rink, the same table Chris and I had sat at when I’d first laid my eyes on a certain person.

 

I craned my neck, spotting some figures out on the ice, but as far as I could see, they were all girls.

 

“So I was thinking we should hand out hockey pucks instead of jerseys, just because that might get kind of expensive.”

 

I nodded, realizing I had to focus. I had been so happy when Coach had asked me to help out with organizing stuff for the kids during the intermission of our yearly game against the rival team, that particular game always about fundraising and creating a fun experience for the little kids.

 

“Yeah, will they be customized and stuff? Because if it’s just a hockey puck with nothing on it I don’t think they’ll really care.”

 

“Yes,” he said. “They’ll say Landon High Hockey or something like that.”

 

“Awesome,” I replied with a smile. “And we’ll have the dance team pass them out, correct?”

 

“Yes, we will. Sit tight, I’ll go get the design from the locker room and you can tell me if it’s good or not.”

 

“Alright.” I leaned back on the bench, watching Coach as he walked off in the opposite direction. I turned my head to the ice, and yes, my heart leapt out of my chest as my eye caught a thin brunette skating his way flawlessly around the rink. I shifted my body to watch him, trying not to make it  _too_ obvious. 

 

He really was beautiful. The way his body moved so gracefully, his only contact to the ground beneath him with a single thin blade, it was absolutely astonishing. I suddenly wanted to know everything. I wanted to know his name to begin with (yes that would be handy), where he moved from, how long he’d been skating, how hard he practiced, what he wanted to do in the future. And then I also wanted to know the more personal things; I wanted to know what made him laugh, what made him cry, what he liked to eat at two o’clock in the morning for a snack when he couldn’t sleep, if he sleeps with his feet under the covers or poking out. I wanted to know it all.

 

I tried to hide my star struck face as he sped by me, quickly coming to a halt then taking off again in the opposite direction, moving quickly past me again. He leapt up and spun around above the ice, his only contact with the air surrounding him. I still had no idea how he did that and still landed so softly, like he’d simply stepped over a crack in a sidewalk.

 

He stopped skating by the small group of people who were gathered in the center of the rink, and a woman (presumably his coach or instructor or whatever they were called) started talking with him, the brunette nodding every few seconds. He put his hand on his hip and cocked his leg to the side, that perfect butt sticking out to the side. I liked to think he saw me watching earlier and did that on purpose, but he was probably so focused on his routine that he didn’t even notice that there were other people even in the building. He swayed slightly on his legs back and forth, and turned around, crossing his arms over his chest as a girl who looked a few years younger started skating out onto the ice.

 

“Dom?” 

 

I whipped around to see Coach Hamilton sitting back down with some papers in his hand.

 

“Let’s just go over the designs and then I’ll let you go. I know it’s a Friday night you probably have places to be.”

 

_Actually I don’t._

 

“Yeah okay sounds good.”

 

I had absolutely nowhere to be. Tom and Chris were on a double date with some girls they’d picked up at a party last week, and my mom and dad were still out of town for four more days. I had two options: hang out and watch Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (guilty pleasure) with Hendrix, or drive out to Los Angeles and find something to do.

 

I could sneak into a bar. I racked my brain to try and remember where I’d left my fake I.D. but nothing came to mind. I was still 17, but being a hockey player, you could say I looked a lot older. With that I.D. I always passed for 21. Every time.

 

I looked over the hockey puck designs with Coach, and after a few moderations, I stood up to leave, grabbing my hockey bag in one hand and sticks in the other.

 

“So what are your plans for tonight Dom?”

 

_Drinking. Fantasizing. Probably masturbating too but we’ll see._

 

“Just gonna have a night in with the dog, Chris and Tom are out. Might watch television.”

 

“Well have fun, see ya at practice on Monday. Again sorry we had to do this so late at night.”

 

“Not a problem Coach, bye!”

 

I glanced around the now empty rink, no one present. I pouted, and opened up the door, wheeling my bag upright to get my car keys out of the pocket. I heard the door opening behind me and a little bit of shuffling. I glanced up, and the brunette was standing there. Two feet away from me. I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to. He was shuffling around in his coat pocket, looking for keys as well I presumed.

 

_Calm down Dom. Don’t do anything stupid like last week._

 

I wiped my already sweaty palms on the leg of my sweats. The brunette whose name probably started with an M (Mark or Max according to Chris) but I didn’t exactly know for sure had set his bag down on the curb, his keys apparently difficult to find. He glanced over at me, and our eyes held each other for a brief second before he broke the gaze and groaned, still trying to find whatever he was looking for.

 

“I left my fucking keys,” he mumbled. He went to turn around and accidentally bumped me. "Sorry," he said under his breath and then, picking up his bag, he turned and went back inside the rink, a lone light on from the janitor running a vacuum over the carpet. Did that seriously just happen? I considered waiting, but how stupid and stalker-ish would that be? 

 

I sighed, grabbing my bag and pulling it to my car, piling everything in the back seat. Once I was sitting with the key in the ignition, I blasted the heat, searching the radio for an appropriate station that wasn’t playing shit. I couldn’t find anything, so I finally gave up and plugged my iPhone into the stereo, smiling and turning it up a bit when I recognized the artist. I put my car in reverse, tapping out the rhythm of the popular David Bowie song on the steering wheel, thinking about the brunette. 

 

When I got home, I threw my bag into the garage and gave a loving pat to Hendrix, the dog replying with his usual gentle lick up my face. I set out to find my fake I.D., and pulled my wallet out of my coat pocket. A tiny piece of paper fluttered down, and I picked it up, tossing it on the kitchen counter to read in a second. I looked in the deepest pockets of my wallet, finding my driver’s license, school I.D. card, a gift card for Costco, a stamp card from Taco Del Mar (hey I could finally get a free mondo burrito), some cash, and my credit card. Empty handed. 

 

I sighed, throwing my wallet carelessly next to my keys. Maybe it was a sign, that possibly something would go wrong if I went out tonight. I grabbed the little piece of paper and opened it up, expecting a reminder from school or a fortune from a forgotten cookie from lunch a few weeks ago. 

 

My breath leapt up and caught in my throat. I thought it was the thing you only saw in movies or in books. I looked at the scrawny handwriting, my eyes squinting and my heart beating faster and faster as I scanned across the crumpled paper and read the note. 

 

_"I saw you watching me. Call me, or text me if you're lame like that. My name's Matt by the way. 310-502-8925"_

 

Matt. Not Max or Mark like Chris had said, Matt.


	3. Chapter 3

Why couldn't I just click the fucking call button? It wasn't that hard, just a phone call. I could text him, but then Matt would think I was lame. And we certainly didn’t want that to happen.

 

_Breathe Howard, you can do this. Simple brain to muscle communication. That’s it, press down, no not the red button, the green one, come on you idiot, stop being so stupid._

 

I felt like I was going to pass out. I wanted to chuck my phone at Chris or Tom, yell at them and cry and make them do it, but neither were here. I had never been so nervous before in my life.

 

_Press the damn button Dom, you don’t have all night, he probably has better things to do, girls to flirt with, dance-y ice skater routines to memorize._

 

I pressed the green call button. I immediately wanted to cry and scream but there was no turning back. My hand trembled as I held my iPhone up to my ear, my palms sticky and slick with sweat. I was worried my phone might slip out of my hand with all the moisture gathering due to my nerves.

 

The phone rang and rang, and my heavy breathing echoed eerily in my ear, haunting me, telling me I’d fuck this up. Then a click after the fourth ring.

 

“Hello?” Holy mother of god above, his voice was like an angel who rolled around in honey and chocolate.

 

“Erm.”  _Shit no Dom don’t freeze up._ “Hi. Uhh is this Matt?”

 

A chuckle on the other side of the line, and a click of a tongue. “Yes, I’m glad you called.”

 

“I’m-”

 

“Dominic Howard. Captain of the varsity hockey team, center of the universe according to every female in the school, and closeted gay.”

 

 _How the fuck does he know that?_ I was hyperventilating. The only people who knew that were Chris, Tom, and my Mom.  _And every guy I’ve had sex with in the past two years. Right, them too._ “Uhhh-”

 

“Come on man, you were staring at my ass all last Saturday morning, and tonight you were absolutely drooling over me. You’re gay. I know a gay guy when I see one. Don’t deny it.”

 

“I-” I was absolutely lost for words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.” I paused, trying to think of something clever to say, trying to mask my obvious nervousness and awkwardness. “I couldn’t help myself.”  _See there you go Dom, keep breathing. Come on you’re a sex machine why can’t you just talk to this one guy?_ I chuckled deeply, my usual flirty side finally showing itself. “It’s a pretty nice ass.”

 

There was a snort. “Innit? Worked hard for this ass.”

 

“Good for you,” I retorted.  _What the fuck was happening? Why was I doing this?_ “So, er, can I ask why you wanted me to call you? Was it just to talk about your ass?”

 

There was a loud shrieking cackle on the other side of the line, a laugh I’d never heard before. Definitely unexpected. I jumped out of my chair in surprise, nearly shitting my pants in the process. “That was funny,” Matt said between short, spastic giggles.  _No it wasn’t._ “Sorry for my outburst.” His voice was serious again, back to the whole honey and chocolate angel thing. “No, I didn’t want to call you to talk about my ass, though we could if that’s what you prefer.”

 

“Uh, well it’s nice, but no, not really.”

 

“That’s what I thought,” said Matt. “Anyway, I was wondering if you’d be interested in, you know, going on a date or something.”

 

_Was he fucking asking me out?_

 

“What,” I responded dumbly.

 

He chuckled. “I, Matthew Bellamy, am asking you, Dom Howard, out on a date.”

 

“You don’t know me,” I replied.  _Dom stop being stupid you’ve had sex with guys you’ve talked to for five minutes you can go on a date with him._

 

“Hence the date Dom.”

 

“But why me?”

 

“Well,” he laughed. “You’re gay. That’s a necessity if one is to date me.”  _Why so formal? Who is this guy?_ “And you’re very attractive. I don’t know if you know that, what am I saying, you probably know that. It’s true. And you don’t look like a  _complete_ idiot so why not?”

 

“Matt, I’m not,” I paused, unable to think of the correct way to word what I was thinking. “I’m not out.”

 

“Then come out.”

 

“I can’t,” I stated.

 

“Then go on a date with me secretly, like you do with all those whores you fuck when you party on the weekends downtown in Los Angeles, where no one knows you.”

 

“Hey how do you know about that?” I let it slip before I could stop it. It wasn’t my fault. I had needs, and those needs were fulfilled by guys willing to bend over for me.

 

“Dom, hello, I’m gay too. You’re not the only guy in this town with a fake I.D.”

 

 _Oh._ Right. That makes sense.Matt was gay, meaning he probably went to the same bars as me, bars predominantly filled by gays. Of course, there was probably some point in time he had seen me there. It wouldn’t be surprising.

 

“Well this is, awkward.”

 

“No it’s not. I’m asking you out, nothing much, it’s just a date. We can go somewhere outside of town if it makes you feel any better.”

 

_Aw what a gentleman._

 

“Yeah okay,” I sighed happily. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. “And Matt?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“For the record, I wasn’t lying; your ass is very nice.”

 

He chuckled. “Goodbye Dom. We’ll talk in person tomorrow.”

 

I put the phone down, ending the call. The house around me was completely silent, save for Hendrix’s slight snuffling in his dreams. I could hear my heart pounding out of my chest, thumping like a giant storming over the lands. I sat down and tried to maintain my breathing. 

 

I was dumb-founded. This was different. I was popular, I was used to being asked out, mostly by slutty girls with too much makeup, Juicy Couture sweats, and over manicured acrylic nails, but all the same, it was something that happened often. Hell, I’d asked girls out before, to Homecoming, Winter Formal, Junior Prom, just to give myself some wiggle room in case any rumors found themselves spreading around our school. I’d had sex with guys, guys my age who were, yes, very attractive. But never before had someone I’ve found attractive asked me out on an actual date. Maybe I had only myself to blame for that, never outing myself. I’d been asked for sex, but never for a date. A real date with a real person to a real place. And I’d never felt so flattered.

 

Suddenly, the happiness hit me like a freight train. I smiled down at the slumbering dog, giggling madly for no reason at his slumped over form. I picked him up and gave him a big squeeze.

 

“Hendrix!” I cried out.  _Dom why are you talking to your dog like he can understand you?_ “I’m going on a date!”

 

Hendrix looked up at me, sneezing and rolling his eyes. I didn’t know dogs could do that. You learn something new every day I guess. He wiggled, trying to escape my hold on him, but I was too happy to let go.

 

“No Mister, you’re staying here and letting me squeeze you until my heart’s content.”

 

I gave him a big kiss to the top of his head, getting a cheek lick in return.  _Okay I guess that’s good enough._ I let him go, watching his black and white body jump up on the bed, making himself comfortable on my pillow.  _My_ pillow, not his. I rolled my eyes, sighing and leaning back. I put a hand to my chest, feeling my heart beat slow down to a normal rate, a rate that wouldn’t alarm a nurse if she had checked the entire time I was talking to Matt and in the near aftermath.

 

I looked down at my phone. The screen was still unlocked, and the call screen still up. A minute and 45 seconds. That was it. And half of it was spent hyperventilating rather than talking. Still, those 105 seconds were some of the best of my life.

 

I sighed, not knowing what to do with the rest of my life now that I had a date with the most gorgeous human being I’d ever laid eyes on.  _Should I call Mom?_ She’d make fun of me, laugh at me for freaking out over something most guys did before they were 14, go on their first date. It was hard when you were gay and had to stay in hiding. I shook my head.  _Chris and Tom, right, your best friends you idiot._

 

I glanced at the clock. Surely they’d be back? It was already 11. I dialed his number, putting the phone up to my ear.

 

He picked up after the first ring. Of course. Christopher Wolstenholme, always a reliable and trustworthy friend.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Chris!” I screamed into the receiver, forgetting to hold myself back.

 

“Dom!” he boomed. Chris always had a loud voice. I pictured him here in person, giving me a big clap to the back, as always. “What’s up?”

 

“You’ll never guess what just happened to me,” I breathed.

 

“Well,” Chris chuckled. “From the sound of your heavy breathing I’m going to guess either A) you just ran a marathon or B) you just had sex?”

 

“Christopher!” I screamed.

 

“Am I wrong?” he asked with a smartass attitude.

 

“Yes actually, you are,” I replied.

 

“Oh?”

 

“I was asked out on a date.”

 

A sporadic burst of laughter rang in my ear, echoing across the phone line.

 

“Why are you laughing?” I asked, pouting even though I knew my best friend couldn’t see me.

 

“By who? Cate?”

 

“No!” I screamed. “By, ahem, hottie.”

 

Chris was silent, then coughed. “Uh, who?”

 

“The guy Chris! The guy! At the rink, the figure skater!” I exclaimed. “His name is Matt!”

 

“Oh!” Chris said, laughing, seeming to finally remember who I was talking about. “Well shit Dom, that’s great, did you just suddenly get the nerve to talk to him?”

 

“No, actually,” I said ashamed. “He slipped his number into my coat.”

 

“Ooh, old fashioned I see.”

 

 _Shut up Chris._ “I thought it was cute.”

 

“Cute shmute.”

 

“Stop talking,” I spat. “Can’t you be happy for me?”

 

“I’m just playing Dom,” Chris laughed. “Of course I’m happy for you! But, I can’t help but wonder, how is this going to work? With you still hanging out in the closet and shit?”

 

“Well...” I sighed. “I guess we’ll just go out somewhere out of town, where I won’t be recognized.”

 

“And your parents?”

 

“Um.” This was an uncomfortable topic. “I guess I’ll go on a day my dad is out of town, on a business trip or something.”

 

“Dom...”

 

“I don’t want to hear it Chris.”

 

“Dom listen to me!” Chris boomed. “He’s your father, you have to tell him, your mom and you can’t just hide it the rest of your life!”

 

I looked down at the floor sadly, stroking Hendrix’s nose, feeling the soft fur tickle my fingertips. “He’s going to hate me.”

 

“Dom.” Chris’ voice was sad now, calming. “You need to realize this, he’s your dad, yes, he may not believe in homosexuality, but you’re his son, he’s going to have to get over it, sooner or later. If you do it sooner, he’ll have more time to, you know, accept it.”

 

“But Chris,” I said sadly. “What if he doesn’t accept it?”

 

“Then he’ll lose you as a son. One day he’ll realize the mistake he made and come back.”

 

“If only it were that simple,” I mumbled.

 

Chris sighed. “Sorry I brought it up.”

 

“S’okay. Just hard to talk about.”

 

“I understand man, I understand. But hey, let’s just drop it yeah? Think of how great this day is, you talked to the guy who took your breath away, and now you’re going on a date with him!”

 

A smile brimmed my face. I still couldn’t believe it. “You’re right. God Chris, I can’t even begin to tell you how shocked I am.”

 

“It doesn’t surprise me. You’re a good looking guy Dom, and you’re nice, and a damn good hockey player.”

 

“Chris I honestly don’t think he cares about the last one.”

 

“Eh you never know, maybe he’s a die hard sports maniac at heart.”

 

I sputtered into laughter, trying to picture Matt on the couch in a sports jersey, holding a “#1 fan!” sign and eating potato chips. I giggled, sighing and running a hand through my blonde hair, pulling at the strands. “I can’t see it.”

 

“Yeah me neither,” Chris said with a laugh. “But really Dom, I’m so happy for you, just be careful okay? And tell him if he hurts you he’d better be prepared for some serious ass kicking.”

 

“Chris!” I laughed. “I can take care of myself. I may need a defender on the ice, but off the skates I think I can handle myself,” I said with a chuckle.

 

“I know you can.”

 

“Thanks man.”

 

“Not a problem Dom. See you tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah,” I said happily. “Bye.”

 

“Bye!”

 

I hung up the phone, looking down to my lap where Hendrix was resting his head on the top of my thigh, his small body rising in time with his breathing. I shifted, standing up and taking my shirt off. I walked towards my bathroom, more than ready for a hot shower and a long sleep, thinking of all the great things yet to come.

 


	4. Chapter 4

I felt my heart leaping out my chest. There was a loud roaring in my ears as I watched what was going on on the ice in front of me. I always got myself into these kinds of stupid situations, whether it was on or off the ice. I’d barely even pushed the guy, the next thing I know his fist is in my face and I’m punching back, Chris joining in the fight, that fearless bastard, always having my back and watching out over me. I felt like I was in a cage, the walls of the penalty box like bricks, preventing me from going out on the ice, holding me back from helping my team. Chris was next to me, breathing heavy and watching with intent as the game unfolded before our eyes. 15 seconds left, and we had three players on the ice while the opposing team was complete with five. Their guy had started the fight, but was still playing, strangely. Stupid fucking biased referees. 

 

“Damn penalty,” I heard Chris mumble, barely audible above the roar of the away crowd, who were hoping for a score.

 

_Come on boys just keep it on our end and we’ll be fine. 10 seconds come on, you can do it. That’s it!_

 

My stick was shaking in my hand, and I glanced up at the clock and score once more. We were up one point. If the opposing team scored we’d have to go into a shoot out. My teeth clenched as I kept my eye on the small, black puck. The buzzer sounded and Chris jumped up and screamed.

 

“Woooo!” he cheered. “Another victory!”

 

I pushed open the door, sprinting out onto the ice to join my already celebrating teammates, Chris hot on my heels, the boo of the crowd echoing gleefully in my ear.

 

~

 

“Hey.”

 

I jumped out of my skin at that voice, and whipped around. Matt Bellamy (I actually know his fucking name now!) was standing there in all his glory and beauty, just a few feet away from me.

 

I dropped my hockey skates, and fumbled clumsily to pick them back up before straightening and looking him directly in the eye.

 

“Uh, what are you doing here?” I asked stupidly.

 

“Ooh just because you’re the star of the hockey team you think this is your rink now?” Matt grinned and chuckled. 

 

I shook my head absentmindedly, still dumbstruck just by his presence.

 

He chuckled again. “I have an early morning practice, had to drop some stuff off tonight for my coach, saw you guys getting back from the game and thought I’d say hello. Properly this time.”

 

I felt a blush crawling up the side of my neck and smiled sheepishly at the brunette. I honestly wasn’t like this. I never got nervous or awkward around people until Matt. He just had a weird effect on me.

 

“Well, hi?”

 

“Hello,” he said slyly with a wink.

 

I took a glance behind me, and he caught on.

 

“Don’t worry Dom, we’re all alone.”

 

I thanked the heavens above, and set my bag down, stretching my legs a bit.

 

“So, uhhh-”

 

“How was your game?” he suddenly interrupted.

 

“Oh, uh, the game? Right, the game! It was good, we won!”

 

_Why the fuck is he asking me about this? This stuff probably bores him half to death._

 

“Well that’s good,” he said with a smile, fidgeting with the edge of his jacket zipper. “So, er, do you come here often?”

 

“Yes, six days a week.”

 

“Dom that was supposed to be a lame pickup line.”

 

I blushed. Why did I always make a dick of myself around him? First I tripped on my hockey skates and then I completely brush by the fact he just used a cliche pickup line on me. “Sorry, I’m kind of a mess.”

 

Matt chuckled, then his face suddenly turned, and he grabbed my sleeve, pulling me into the men’s bathroom and pushing me down to the cold floor. His breathing was rushed and I suddenly was worried for my own safety.

 

“The fuck?”

 

“Shush,” he hissed.

 

“Don’t shush me!”

 

“Shush!”

 

I was beyond confused, and then I realized. Matt was pointing to a group of people who were exiting the locker room, and we were invisible to them from our hidden spot behind the bathroom door. I turned to look at him, breathless at what he’d just done. For me.

 

“Matt,” I whispered. We were crouched down on the floor, our backs pressed up against the wall awkwardly. It actually would’ve been funny, if we hadn't been trying to stay dead silent to avoid getting caught. I watched as my teammates gathered around a small table, talking. We sat on the bathroom floor for five minutes, silent, before the small group of hockey players finally walked out of the rink toward their cars. 

 

"Well that was close," Matt said with a giggle. 

 

"Why'd you do that?" I asked, breathless.

 

“You’re in the closet. For what reason I have no idea, everyone loves you and you have nothing to worry about if you come out, but I don’t want to get caught in the center of some dramatic gay love affair with the school hero.”

 

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. I smiled at the brunette, whose eyes were twinkling, the blue having a special sparkle to them. “Thanks Matt, I really appreciate it. A lot.”

 

“I don’t know why you’re so paranoid about coming out, it’s great, you feel so free afterwards.”

 

I shook my head. “It’s... Personal, I guess.”

 

He raised one eyebrow. “Care to spill the beans?”

 

“Not necessarily,” I laughed.

 

Matt pouted, and gave me those stupid puppy dog eyes that girls always give me. They never worked before, but fuck, those stupid eyes of his. “Come on, I’m taking you on a date, I at least need to know why it’s in private.”

 

I looked around the empty skating rink, not seeing anyone, but you could never be sure, with the countless locker rooms and storage areas, some of my teammates could still be lurking around.

 

“Okay, I’ll tell you I guess.” Matt smiled at that. “On one account: we go somewhere other than here.”

 

Matt nodded, and I bit my lip, nervous about the step I was about to take. 

 

"Coffee?” Matt suggested.

 

I smiled, but then frowned as I glanced at my wristwatch. “Tonight?”

 

“Starbucks is open late.”

 

I stuck my tongue out. Never was a fan of Starbucks. Matt must have noticed the look on my face because he let out a small laugh.

 

“I don’t like it either, but it’s got privacy where we can talk,” he said. “And over-priced, fattening coffee,” he added with a smile.

 

I giggled (like a stupid girl, how embarrassing), and nodded. “I have to drop some stuff off at home, meet you there in 20 minutes?”

 

“Yeah, sounds good. I’ll see you there Dom!” 

 

I watched with the stupidest grin on my face as Matt and his fine little butt moved gracefully out the door and into the frigid air. I picked up my things and pulled my scarf around my neck tightly, preparing myself as I stepped out into the winter night.

 

~

 

“So?”

 

I watched as Matt sipped his Americano. It was funny, I’d think being a figure skater, which you have to admit is kind of a girl’s sport, he’d get something frilly, like a caramel macchiato or cinnamon dulce latte. But no, he goes for the straight black coffee, not even a sugar packet to ease it down.

 

I carefully sipped my mocha, being careful not to burn my tongue on the chocolatey drink as I eyed the brunette sitting across from me, the Starbucks completely empty save for us and two workers who were paying no attention to us whatsoever.

 

I still couldn’t believe I was talking to him. He eyed me suspiciously, raising his eyebrow as an indication for me to start talking. “You gonna tell me why I can’t take you out normally and prance you around on the streets?” he asked.

 

I smiled sheepishly into my coffee.

 

“Come on Dom, stop fucking playing with me!” he pushed. I felt a foot run up my calf, inching below the bottom of my pant leg, and my breath hitched and my arm hair stood straight on end. I laughed, feeling myself ease up a bit, losing my control over the situation. “Tell me Dominic,” he whispered.

 

“My dad’s a homophobe,” I blurted out.

 

Matt’s foot dropped, and my calf went cold from the sudden loss of heat. I stared at the brunette in front of me, his jaw nearly to the floor, his coffee carelessly dropped to the the table, luckily only spilling a few drops seeing as it was practically empty.

 

“Shit Dom, you’re kidding.”

 

“No.” I shook my head sadly, trying to will myself to keep the tears in.  _Come on Dom, you’re a tough hockey player, act like one._

 

“Christ, I’m sorry, I honestly had no idea.”

 

“S’okay.” I gave him a smile to show him it really was. I shrugged my shoulders. “That’s how it is.”

 

“It shouldn’t be,” he blurted out. He gave me a toothy grin and chuckled. “I mean, Dom, you’re really hot. I’m not just saying that because you’re one of about three gay guys at our school, you are extremely attractive. In return you should be allowed to be attracted to whoever you want to, penis or vagina.”

 

I erupted into laughter, and Matt gave me a wink. “So if I was ugly it would be okay for my dad to be homophobic?”

 

“No, er,” Matt’s face twisted as he searched for words. “Is that what I made it sound like?” I nodded. “Oops. Well, that’s not what I really meant. You should just be able to date who you want. End of story.”

 

I smiled. “Unfortunately it’s not that easy.”

 

“So what, is your dad just one of those guys who thinks gays are going to take over the world and make it so that the human population slowly dwindles away until no one is left to reproduce?” Matt’s foot returned to my calf, rubbing slowly up and down my leg, and my hair stood on end again.

 

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Nah, he just doesn’t think it’s right. It’s that whole ‘Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve’ thing.”

 

Matt nodded and sipped the remaining few drops of his Americano, looking at me thoughtfully. His eyes were so strong, seemingly holding me in place.

 

“Well, this sucks,” Matt said with a sigh.

 

“What?”

 

“If you had told me you were in the closet only because you were afraid to come out, I was going to force you to come out, so you could be my proper boyfriend, but since it’s for a different reason, I can’t do that.”

 

“Wait,” I said, shocked. “What?”

 

“You can’t come out because of your dad, right?”

 

“No, er, I mean yes. But what did you say? You want me to be your boyfriend? You barely know me!”

 

“So? I like you, a lot. I never really go for athletic guys, too cocky, but you, you’re different. I like you Dom.”

 

I blushed, Matt’s words rushing through me and straight down to my dick. Fucking testosterone. “I like you too Matt.”

 

“Aw,” Matt said with a smile, then suddenly burst out laughing. “You can be my invisi-boyfriend!”

 

“WHA-AT?!” I spit out my mocha, dripping hot coffee all over the table in front of me. I blushed, reaching for the napkin Matt held out for me, wiping my face, nose, and the table. 

 

“Ooh!” he squealed. “We can go on invisi-dates!”

 

“You’re hilarious,” I giggled sheepishly, probably blushing like a fifth grade girl with her first crush. I guess that’s kind of how I was, minus the girl and fifth grade part.

 

“For a tough hockey player you sure blush a lot,” he noted.

 

“Hey,” I laughed. “It’s my inner gay peaking through.”

 

“I don’t blush,” Matt said as he raised his eyebrow. He had a point. “Maybe it’s some sort of reverse thing, the ones who are more gay on the outside are less gay on the inside.”

 

“I doubt that.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Matt challenged. 

 

“Yeah,” I retorted back.

 

“Top or bottom?”

 

I frowned. “What does-”

 

“Just answer the question, Dominic.”

 

“Er, both.”

 

“Ah, I see,” Matt said with a wink.

 

“I just, like both I guess,” I said with a shrug. “And I never really thought of one being more manly than the other, so both are nice.” I looked at him. “Really nice,” I added. “You?”

 

“Top, but bottom with someone I trust.”

 

“Oh, okay,” I said with a nod. This was quite the conversation to be having over a late coffee on a Saturday night after a hockey game. “Why are we talking about this again?” I asked suddenly.

 

Matt laughed softly to himself, before absentmindedly staring down at his nail, picking at the skin surrounding. “I honestly don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess I was going to call you out for being more gay than me but I guess we’re equal.”

 

I chuckled, staring at the tiny brunette across from me. No more than 24 hours ago I hadn’t even known his name. Now we were already talking about sex. Oh yes, teenagers indeed,

 

“So, I don’t count this really as a date.” Matt said, changing the subject and waving his hands around at the plain walls of the Starbucks surrounding us. “When can I properly take you out?” he asked.

 

“Well.” I smiled. “My parents are out of town until Tuesday, which makes it easier for me to ‘sneak out’, so, how about tomorrow night?”

 

“Sounds excellent. Is Italian okay?”

 

“Definitely.” I smiled at the blue eyed beauty sitting across from me, an equally huge smile on his face. Things were going to be great.

 


	5. Chapter 5

I plodded downstairs the next morning and flopped onto the couch, running a hand through my messy blonde hair as I tried to tame the scattered and distraught locks. Hendrix ran up and sat at my feet, looking up at me expectantly. _Right, dog. Breakfast for the dog. Pull yourself together Dom. Come on man._

 

Once I’d gotten home from my little coffee adventure with Matt, the previous night had been rough. I’d attempted to complete all my homework, relying on about three mugs of strong coffee, two Dr. Peppers, and about nine energy bars, lasting well into the morning. Six am to be exact. Coach was going to yell at me for being so unhealthy, but I needed to get it all done, seeing as I’d be too excited to do it on the day of.  _The_ day. The big day that made me smile just thinking about it.

 

I stumbled up from the couch, cursing the cold weather as I wrapped my arms around my body, and followed the excited little dog to his food bowl, where I promptly filled it. I watched as he gobbled down his food in what seemed like a nanosecond. I never understood why he became so excited about it; it was just food. It was the same food he’d had since he was a puppy, it shouldn’t be that great of an experience. But to him, it was one of the great pleasures in life, the thing he always looked forward to. I found it absolutely fucking adorable. Damn that dog.

 

I glanced at my phone sitting on the kitchen countertop from where I'd left it last night. There were a few texts from Chris, and I laughed, remembering my stupid hormonal teenager moment, but then I groaned, because I  _really_ started to remember it.  _God why am I such a girl?_ I had been absolutely exhausted, and apparently I had been freaking out to Chris. Poor thing. I read through the conversation, and boy was it embarrassing.

 

_“holy shit chris i actually have a date!”_

 

_“ok dom, i know, i heard you the first five thousand times, it’s 1 am, finish your homework and get some sleep. bye”_

 

_“no you don’t understand, i have a date!”_

 

_“ok”_

 

_“oh jesus what should i wear?”_

 

_“bye dom.”_

 

_“no chris don’t go. help me decide what to wear”_

 

_“figure it out yourself tomorrow. i’m going to stop replying now. bye”_

 

_“chris help”_

 

_“chris?”_

 

_“why aren’t you replying?”_

 

_“hello?”_

 

_“CHRIS”_

 

_“chris don’t leave me”_

 

_“christopher wolstenholme...”_

 

_“ugh fine bye :(“_

 

I laughed at myself. I was so embarrassing sometimes. I sent a quick text to Chris.

 

_“hey man sorry about last night, i was really tired, i don’t even remember saying all that”_

 

He replied quickly.  _“not a problem, i figured you were half asleep”_

 

I paused, then giggled to myself.  _“so will you help me pick out something to wear for tonight?”_

 

_“....bye dom”_

 

Oh Christopher, always so supportive. I saw how late it was. Already noon, and I’d just woken up. Staying up into the wee hours of the morning always did absolute wonders for my sleep schedule. Only not at all.

 

I poured myself a bowl of cereal, Lucky Charms to be exact, the breakfast of champions, and got settled on mentally preparing myself for the day ahead.

 

~

 

“Nah, way too flashy.”

 

“Ugh Tom you’re not helping,” I groaned, throwing yet another pair of skinny jeans down to the infinitely growing pile on my bedroom floor. I collapsed onto my bed with a ‘huff’, and the brunette sitting next to me giggled. “Stop laughing, this is a serious problem, Thomas! I have absolutely no appropriate clothes!”

 

I’d been trying on clothes for well over two hours. Matt would be there soon, 30 minutes to be exact, and I still didn’t have the perfect thing to wear. Everything was either way too casual or way too fancy. Tom told me I should just go dressed in drag, that particular statement resulting in a punch to his ribs and eventually a giant tickle war between the two of us. We were still kids at heart.

 

Tom bent down and picked up a discarded pair of black skinnies which were hanging out of the end of the pile. “These?”

 

“Too small. My balls will suffocate.”

 

Tom raised one eyebrow. “Isn’t that what you want though? To impress and tease Matt?”

 

I stared at Tom, open-jawed and failing to blink. Damn he was a fucking genius. “Tom, I love you,” I blurted out.

 

He shrugged. “S’what I’m here for. Making sure you always look good.”

 

I rolled my eyes, mumbled a quiet “thanks”, and hopped off the bed, pulling the tight jeans over my boxers. Tom laughed as I sucked in my stomach and zipped them up, then spun around to show them off. I glanced in the mirror; yes, they made my ass look  _very_ good. Poor Matthew.

 

“Damn Dom. If you were a chick I’d bang you.”

 

“Thank you Tom,” I said sarcastically. He grinned and I couldn’t help but smile back stupidly. My best friends were honestly great. I’d been so scared to come out to them four years previous, but everything worked out great. Even the teasing. And the never ending “if you were actually a girl” jokes.

 

“Shirt?”

 

“Nah I think I’ll go shirtless.”

 

Tom looked at me skeptically.

 

“Tom that was a joke.”

 

“Oh,” said the brunette, coughing awkwardly. “Er, where are you going, exactly?”

 

“Dunno,” I replied with a shrug. “Some Italian place I think. And probably in LA, not here. Considering my whole still-in-the-closet thing.”

 

“Hmmm.” I watched as Tom wandered around my room, searching through piles of clothes. He picked up a blue sweater, frowned, and threw it back into the growing pile of clothing.

 

I sighed and leaned back on my bed, letting him figure out what I should wear. For a straight guy, Tom’s style was impeccable. He always knew what was best for me to wear.

 

“Fuck! Yes!” I heard him shout from the other side of the room, and I sat up to see him hunched over a small pile of clothes near my desk. “Found the perfect thing!”

 

He lifted up a plain black tee shirt and a black leather jacket for me to see.

 

“All black?” I questioned.

 

“It’s slimming. Not like you really need it, but all black is nice.”

 

“Okay then.” I stepped forward, and quickly dressed, and with one glance in the mirror I knew it would be absolutely perfect for my date. I ran forward and hugged my best friend, smiling the whole time. “Thank you so much!”

 

~

 

“Okay, favorite color?”

 

It was 6:30 in the evening. Matthew and I were stuck in Los Angeles traffic on our way to dinner. On a fucking Sunday. And yes, we were playing the question game.

 

“Blue,” I replied. “No, wait, er, yes, blue.” I was so indecisive.

 

“You sure?” he asked, raising one eyebrow.

 

“Yes. Favorite sport?”

 

Matt looked at me like I was dumb. Probably because I was.

 

“.....Never mind, I already know the answer.”

 

“I know you do, it’s curling!” Matt said as the car inched forward maybe four inches. Maybe.

 

“What.”

 

“Kidding, Dom, do you not get sarcasm?”

 

I blushed.  _I do, I’m just a fucking idiot around you._

 

“Fucking traffic,” Matt mumbled.

 

“Mhmmm,” I agreed from the passenger seat. I still had no idea what restaurant we were going to. Usually that would scare me but something told me Matt wasn’t the type to kidnap me and rape me and then slit my throat and hide my body in the bushes. But maybe he was, you could never be sure these days.

 

“Favorite type of dog?”

 

“Easy, Boston terrier.” I smiled, thinking of Hendrix, waiting patiently for me to come back home and give him lots of attention the rest of the night.

 

Matt snorted. “You are so gay.”

 

“What?”

 

“Come on Dom, a small dog, really? So flamboyantly gay.”

 

“Well okay then, what’s yours?”

 

“Hmmm.” Matt tapped his finger on the steering wheel and rubbed his chin, obviously deep in thought. “Golden retrievers. Manly, nice, big friendly eyes...” He paused. “Blonde.”

 

“Did you just imply that I’m manly no less than 10 seconds after you accused me of being flamboyantly gay?”

 

“Maybe,” said Matthew, holding out the ‘a’ and giving me a wink.

 

I felt my cock tighten at that wink. Stupid thing, always in the way. I casually placed my hands over my lap, hoping Matt never noticed. He did, and gave me a smirk. I blushed again, and shifted uncomfortably, the tight jeans suddenly constricting the growing hardness and becoming incredibly painful. I coughed.

 

“You all right over there?” Matt asked with a cheeky smile.

 

I nodded quickly, then grimaced.  _Please Matt, do something unattractive so I stop thinking about you naked, your beautiful skin, the way your body would contort on top of me, the- FUCK._

 

He smiled again, blue eyes shining, and I hardened even more. God, those jeans hurt. I needed out of them. And fast. I moved my hand, brushing against the hardness and moaning loudly. Matt turned to look at me, wide eyed, the blue swallowing me whole.

 

“Dom,” he whispered, then glanced down. I followed his eye trail to an equally large bulge in Matt’s crotch, and I blushed yet again. “Fuck it,” he moaned.

 

I watched as he put the car in park and set the break. We hadn’t moved in the last 20 or so minutes, and we were obviously not going anywhere soon, the traffic backed up bumper to bumper as far as the eye could see. He crawled over the middle console, and suddenly, yes, Matt was on top of me, my lips moving against his. God, he was so perfect at kissing. Much better than guys I’d been with before. His thin lips were so soft and moist, leaving tingles everywhere they moved. He rocked his hips, our clothed erections grinding against each other. I gasped, never wanting him to stop.

 

He suddenly pulled away, and moved back to the driver’s seat. I gasped at the sudden loss of contact, feeling my cock throb in my jeans. “You can’t be serious?” I asked him as he put the car back in drive, silent. “You’re just going to leave me hanging?”

 

He smiled. “Let’s just skip dinner, yeah?”


	6. Chapter 6

“Your parents are out of town you said?”

 

“Yes fuck, Matt, drive faster,” I moaned. I willed myself not to stroke my throbbing erection, but fuck, he kept looking at me with those beautiful blue eyes and it just started hurting worse and worse.

 

“Fuck Dom, where’s your house?”

 

“Turn left here!” I nearly screamed as Matt sped off the exit and towards my house, the different houses speeding by as Matt pressed his foot down hard on the accelerator. 

 

“That one,” I pointed as the tires screeched to a halt in front of my house. I unbuckled my seatbelt as fast as I could and before I knew it, both Matt and I were out of the car and our lips were moving against each other’s as fast as possible. “We... have to... go inside,” I gasped against his open mouth, and we slowly moved towards the front door.

 

Matt’s mouth latched onto my neck, extracting small whimpers from me as I desperately tried to unlock the door, but it was so fucking hard with the world’s most beautiful man using his lips to suck my skin and give me open mouthed kisses everywhere. Finally after the sixth try I unlocked the door and it swung open ferociously as I nearly threw Matt inside, slamming the door with my foot, and pinning him against it with his arms above us so we could kiss properly. I felt long fingers tangle in my hair, and I threw my head back, moaning as my lips seeked Matt’s.

 

I spun around quickly, and took Matt’s hand and drug him up the stairs, nearly falling face first on the last step at my excitement, but somehow we managed to make it. He attacked me with his lips again as I slowly backed towards my bedroom. I broke away from Matt’s kiss for a brief second to glance behind me and make sure I wasn’t about to hit any walls, only to be greeted by Hendrix looking up at me funnily. 

 

“Don’t tell Mom and Dad,” I whispered to the dog, and Matt broke out in high pitched giggles, then started kissing me again as we made it to my room and shut the door behind us. I heard Hendrix growl from the other side, but I was too busy making out with Matt to notice or even care, as much as I loved the dog. 

 

I felt a pair of hands on my belt, and before I knew it, my too tight skinny jeans were pushed down to the floor, and Matt was feeling me through my boxers. He was good with his hands, I’ll just say that much, and pretty soon my cock was throbbing beneath his light touches.

 

“Matt, mmmmm,” I moaned into his mouth, trying desperately to calm my racing heart as he ran his fingers through my hair. “Fuck me. Now.”

 

I felt a grin against our kiss, and his hands moved to my shirt, lifting it up by the bottom and pulling it over my head until I was wearing only my boxers. I quickly moved my hands to pull off Matt’s blue sweater, and I tossed it aside with a gasp as his pale body was revealed.

 

I don’t know what I had been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that. Matt’s body was beautiful, more beautiful than I ever could have imagined. I had thought he’d be muscular, from all his skating, but he wasn’t; his stomach was thin, small muscles just barely fluttering beneath his skin, and his ribs jutted out, but not in a gross way. No, Matt was the last thing from gross.

 

I traced a finger over his chest, smiling at the way his nipples hardened just from my fingertip lightly brushing over them. I moved my hands down his stomach, over his navel, and down to his hips. I used my left hand to unbutton and unzip his jeans, and I pushed them down, until we were both standing in only our boxers and socks. Everything became silent, only our heavy breathing filling the room, and suddenly I locked eyes with Matt. His pupils were dilated, and the small discs of blue remained twinkled with desire. He suddenly leaned forward again, and pulled my lips close for another kiss, this time soft, our tongues at bay and our lips simply moving against each other’s quietly, more intimately and cherishable than they had been before.

 

He pushed me back until I was laying on my bed and he was on top of me, still kissing softly, and I felt my boxers being pulled down.

 

“Matt, ohh, “ I moaned as I felt his hand wrap around my cock. He smiled and gave me a wink, licking his lips and leaning forward again to kiss me. I watched him as he left my lips and trailed lower and lower down my body. “HOLY SHIT,” I screamed, any intimacy that was there before now gone as Matt’s mouth replaced his hand. Pleasure shot through me like a bullet.

 

I laced my fingers in the dark brown strands of his hair, pulling and tugging as he swallowed me whole and let out a soft hum, buzzing through my entire body.

 

“Fuck Matt, fuck fuck fuck  _fuck_ ,” I gasped, throwing my head back.

 

Cold air hit me, and suddenly Matt’s mouth was on my chest, nibbling little bits of my skin, leaving marks. My hand automatically moved behind his head, and brought his mouth to mine. His tongue laced with mine, and I could taste myself on him, but at that moment I could care less.

 

“Need you... Ungh... Inside of me,” I managed to say between moans.

 

“Mmm, enthusiastic Dominic,” Matt whispered after a heavy mouthed kiss. “You got any lube?”

 

“Top drawer, bedside table,” I gasped as he kissed my neck. Damn it. He found my weak spot. He giggled, and kissed there again. I’d always been sensitive in that particular spot, right underneath my hairline on the right side. “Matt, oh my god!” I screamed out as he nibbled on the skin there, sending sharp tingles up my spine and to the rest of my already trembling body.

 

He reached over to the table, and fumbled with the drawer. He quickly found my bottle of lube, and tossed it onto the bed beside us.

 

I watched as he hopped off my bed and dug through our pile of clothes to his jeans. He pulled a condom out of the pocket, and slipped back onto the bed, showering me with more kisses. I barely knew him, we never even went on our officially first date, but I was more ready to have sex with him than any guy before.

 

“Oh I should warn you,” he said all of a sudden.

 

“Please don’t tell me you’re actually a woman because that would just ruin all the sex appeal.”

 

“Cheeky Dom, real cheeky. No, I am in fact a male, see?” he said as he suddenly pulled off his boxers. Oh god. His cock, it was fucking beautiful. Of course it was, this was Matthew Bellamy, everything was perfect. It was thick, bigger than I would’ve thought, and I craved that cock to be everywhere. He giggled, wiggling his hips, his cock flopping back and forth, and I could only drool and feel my own cock twitch at the sight. “What I wanted to say was, I do weird stuff when I’m having sex. I’m pretty flexible.”

 

“Oh?” I choked out as he crawled on top of me again.

 

“Yeah,” he whispered. “So if I bend in half, don’t freak out on me, okay? I’ve had that happen before,” he said with a giggle.

 

“Okay, I won’t,” I said, smiling as I reached up with my lips and stole a soft kiss.

 

Matt grinned, and slowly began tugging at his own cock. I watched with lust filled eyes as he popped the cap on the lube open and squirted the appropriate amount on his fingers. I lifted my legs slightly, allowing him to move forward, and gasped as his slick fingers slid inside of me, one at first, and then adding two more. It was glorious. I’d been fingered before, many times, but his fingers were so long, I felt like he could reach as far into me as he wanted and then further. He scrunched and twisted and I hissed, resulting in a giggle from the thin brunette. He smiled at me with wanting eyes, then softly pulled his fingers out and rolled the condom onto his cock. That shouldn’t have been so incredibly sexy, but fuck, it was.

 

He moved forward, pressing his cock to my opening and biting my bottom lip, and then, there it was: that incredible mix of both pressure and pleasure that I craved and was so glad to finally be receiving from him. He was bigger than anyone I’d ever had sex with, and it was notable in the slightly painful burn as he began rocking his hips. But pleasure always overcame any pain, and in less than a minute I was a moaning, quivering mess.

 

“Dom, wow, fuck, you’re incredible,” he groaned in my ear, growling a bit and darting his tongue out to lick a bead of sweat that had trailed down my neck. I shivered and kissed his cheek, his sharp cheekbones jutting out. They were too magnificent not to notice, so I gave them the attention they deserved with my lips as Matt rocked us back and forth, thrusting up and hammering my insides.

 

I usually wasn’t a screamer (at least  _too_ much of a screamer), but when Matt thrusted hard and hit my prostate, my lungs cried in sharp pain as I screamed as loud as they let me.

 

“Jesus Christ, fuck, Dominic!” Matt moaned when I screamed. He reached down, and suddenly my cock was being squeezed and stroked again, his long fingers dancing over the slit and up and down. His mouth reached forward, silencing my screams and snagging my lips with his teeth. I felt him bite down, and our kiss was suddenly filled with the metallic taste of blood, but goddamn that just made it even better. His tongue moved over the source of the blood, and our lips were smothered with the tangy fluid. His hips moved rhythmically up and down, and I looked between us and gasped. Matt’s legs were completely bent back behind him in a way I would’ve thought would be the most painful experience in the world. Apparently for him it wasn’t. 

 

“Matt, your legs,” I mumbled between moans, still trying to comprehend the way his limbs were positioned.

 

“I told you,” he giggled, kissing my neck and starting to work my cock more quickly. I could feel my orgasm nearing. 

 

“Matt, mmm, gonna come soon.”

 

I moaned as he hit my prostate again and stroked my cock quickly, and suddenly I was screaming, spurting into his hand and moaning his name over and over again.

 

“Fuck Dom!” I shuddered as Matt hit his orgasm just after me, and slowly rode his out with me, snapping his hips in time with mine.

 

“Oh my god,” I gasped, breathless as he pulled out of me and threw the condom into the waste basket beside my bed. I leaned back, my head hitting the pillow, and I watched my chest rise up and down quickly. Suddenly a head of brown hair was next to me on the pillow, and I looked over to see Matt’s eyes staring at me intently.

 

“I have to say Mr. Howard, that was the best first date I’ve ever been on.”

 

I laughed. “Thank you Mr. Bellamy, I’d have to say the same.”

 

He giggled loudly. A high pitched giggle coming out of a 17 year old male should  _not_ be that adorable. I smiled, not being able to help it, he was just so cute. 

 

He gave me a soft kiss to the lips, then leaned back on my headboard with a sigh. I looked down the bed, at my tan, muscular legs and his pale, skinny legs. They were so thin, and I knelt down to touch his calves, feeling the sharp line of muscles developed from gracefully leaping off the ice for so long.

 

“I’m hungry, you want to order pizza?” I asked him with a smile.

 

He frowned. “Can’t, have to eat healthy.”

 

I pouted at him and raised one eyebrow. “You’re kidding right?”

 

“Nope,” he replied with a laugh. “Competition season is soon, I have to keep in shape.”

 

“Whatever you say,” I said with a shake of my head. I slipped down into the bed, and suddenly felt two slim arms wrap around my body. I smiled at the brunette, and he smiled back.

 

I thought we were going to just lay there in each other’s arms, some stupid romantic thing like that, with some declaration of our true feelings for one another, but instead, I saw a twinkle in Matt’s eye that I was beginning to become familiar with. “I guess one slice won’t hurt,” he said. “Just don’t tell my coach.”

 

I laughed, and pulled him close. “Okay, I’ll get up in a second and call, let’s just rest for a bit right now.”

 

“Okay.”

 

And that’s the last thing I remember before falling into a blissful sleep with the brunette I only knew for a couple weeks, the brunette I decided I wasn’t going to let go for anything.

 


	7. Chapter 7

“Dom? Dom?”

 

I felt a sharp poke to my ribcage, and grumbled, pushing the protruding finger away.

 

“Dom, wake up,” the other person whined, poking me again persistently in the ribs. It was beginning to hurt.

 

“Hmph.”

 

“Dom, wake up.”

 

“Go back to sleep Matt,” I grumbled.

 

“M’hungry,” he whined loudly.

 

I flipped over, facing the brunette for the first time since we’d fallen asleep. His blue eyes shined brightly, reflecting on the moonlight that filtered in through my open bedroom window. I suddenly remembered everything: skipping dinner, driving home as fast as possible, having sex.

 

_Wow. We fucked._

 

Yes, yes we did. And it was great.

 

I stretched my arms up, feeling my muscles stretch out from their stiffness after falling asleep. I glanced at the lit up clock; it was only 10 o’clock. I glanced back down at Matt, who now had his head buried in my bed, his brown hair just barely sticking out from the top of the duvet. I couldn’t help but smile, he looked like a young child. He looked so innocent compared to when his legs were bent magically behind him, on the brink of orgasm. I sighed, sitting up and blushing, noticing we were both still completely naked. I reached over and dug through the pile of clothes on the ground to find my boxers and quickly pulled them on, shivering against the chilly air as it struck my body.

 

I lifted my phone from the side table where it had been carelessly tossed a few hours ago, giving in to Matt’s persistence, and dialed a number I knew far too well to be healthy. I waited until the person on the other line picked up.

 

“Hello, Domino’s Pizza, how may we help you?”

 

“Yes I’d like to order pizza.”  _No shit Dom._ “Uhh.” I poked Matt, trying to wake him from his groggy state. “What do you like?” I whispered, holding my phone away from me.

 

“Anything,” he mumbled. flipping back over and burying himself into the sheets sleepily.

 

“Uhh, just a medium pepperoni please.”

 

I gave the woman on the end of the line my address, ended the call, and laid back down with Matt.

 

“When the pizza gets here, make sure you stay upstairs, okay? Most of the people who work at Domino’s go to our school,” I whispered.

 

“Whatever you say Dom,” Matt said, obviously tired. 

 

I giggled. “I’ll wake you up when it’s here.”

 

“Mmmmm, yes okay, sounds good. God, pizza, yum...”

 

~

 

“I don’t like pepperoni,” Matt said as I opened up the box of pizza. My jaw dropped. We were sitting at the kitchen table, shirtless and dressed in only our boxers and socks, with the fast food sitting between us and two cans of Coke, diet for Matt (“I have to keep my figure!” he had exclaimed).

 

“You’re kidding, right?”

 

“No, I’m not, why didn’t you ask me what I liked?”

 

“I did,” I said, annoyed with the brunette. “I woke you up and asked you what you wanted.”

 

“Uh, no you didn’t, Dom,” Matt laughed with an eye roll.

 

I suddenly burst out laughing. I hadn’t realized how tired Matt had been when I asked him what he liked to eat. “Just pick off the pepperoni then, I guess, sorry.”

 

“S’alright,” he replied, frowning and picking the piece of meat off and flinging it at me. Such a child. “What time should I leave?” he asked after taking a bite of his mostly dough and sauce pizza, seeing as all the cheese stuck to the pepperoni.

 

I frowned, wanting to go back to sleep with him held tightly in my arms (I like cuddling, super gay, I know), but I had to clean the house and get my homework done, seeing as my parents would be home in two days. “After we’re done eating,” I said softly, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice, though I knew that was impossible.

 

“Okay,” he said sadly. “We should do this again though.”

 

“Fuck like bunnies then eat pizza?” I asked with a giggle.

 

He exploded into high pitched laughter. God, he was so fucking  _cute_ I could barely control myself when he did that. “Yes,” he said between gasps, tears streaming his eyes. “It was quite fun, don’t you agree?”

 

“Ha, yes,” I smiled, sipping my Coke.

 

He grinned stupidly, wiping pizza sauce off his face with a disposable napkin, and glancing at the time on the microwave. “Guess I should be going,” he said sadly.

 

I stood up, not sure what to do.  _Do I kiss him? Shake hands? Hug? Fuck, his eyes are so blue._ Luckily, he took the initiative, and I was pulled into a long kiss, our tongues intertwining, the taste of cheese and pizza sauce evident on both our mouths. Kissing him was absolutely chill inducing, his long tongue tracing my lips and our mouths moving rhythmically against each other’s.

 

I wasn’t sure where to put my hands, so I slowly raised them and pulled his hair, feeling the strands of brown between my fingers. He moaned, so obviously that was the right thing to do on my part. I noted hair pulling as a good thing to do, for later events.

 

“Dom, mmm, will you be my boyfriend?” he groaned into my mouth.

 

I laughed, pulling away and leaving a soft kiss on his cheek. “I thought that was already established the second you put your dick in my ass.”

 

“Smartass.”

 

I winked, and he pecked my lips once more. 

 

“Next time your parents are out of town can we actually sleep through the night?” he asked, looking up at me.

 

My heart leaped out of my chest. Suddenly the teasing, horny, sexy Matt who had just called me a smartass was replaced and was now looking at me with wide blue eyes, so full of hope. It gave me reassurance, that this wasn’t a one night stand, not a quick fuck; he legitimately wanted to be with me. I cursed my father, wanting to take Matt with me everywhere I went, hold his hand in the hallways at school, attend his skating competitions, kiss him at open skate, take him to senior prom. I was infatuated with his personality, the way he could go from sexy and sleek, making me fumble and unable to form words, to cute and quirky, making me giggle and smile adoringly at him. He was so different from any guy I’d ever been with (not that I had ever been in an actual relationship before), I felt like we had a special bond, connecting over something in two very different ways through some form of ice sport, even though we’d barely even spoken about the two sports we were both so passionate about. I wanted to be with him, so badly. And then I knew I was absolutely fucked; I loved him.

 

~

 

“Dom!”

 

“Hi Mom!”

 

I put my car in park, and opened up the door, jumping out and pulling my mom into a giant hug. It was funny how a few weeks away from your own mother could effect you without you realizing it. I squeezed her tightly, then grabbed her suitcase, throwing it carelessly into the backseat.

 

“Look how tan you are!” I exclaimed once we were driving. “Where’s Dad? You sent a text to me saying he wasn’t coming home today?”

 

“Oh,” my mom said sadly. “Yeah, he got a last minute call on our last day in Hawaii, emergency power thing, I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but he’s in China for a week.”

 

“Ah,” I said, pulling onto the freeway that would take us home. “I guess now would be the time to tell you then; I kind of have a boyfriend now.”

 

“DOM!” my mom exclaimed. “Why didn’t you call and tell me?! Honey that’s great! Who is it, someone I know? Is he cute? What’s his name? How’d you two meet? Oh my this is so fantastic I’m so happy for you!”

 

“Mom slow down with the questions!” I laughed. “I didn’t call you because it wasn’t really official until Sunday night, and no you don’t know him, he’s new, and yes he’s very cute, and his name is Matt. We met at the ice rink.”

 

“Aww Dom I can’t wait to meet him! So you two had a date on Sunday?”

 

I laughed, recalling our night of getting stuck in typical Los Angeles traffic, speeding home at probably twice the speed limit, making out against the front door of my house, fucking like mad, then eating pizza. “Yeah, I guess you could call it that.”

 

“That’s so great!” Mom squealed, oblivious to the suggesting tone my voice had.

 

“Yeah I really like him,” I said while smiling, images of blue eyes and pale white skin flashing across my mind.

 

“When can I meet him?” she asked excitedly.

 

“Sometime this week, seeing as Dad won’t be home, you know.”

 

My mom smiled sympathetically, rubbing my hand. “He’ll understand one day, Dom.” I shrugged, tears suddenly stinging my eyes, a complete turn around from my chipper mood only a few minutes ago. Physically, I felt so strong, participating in possibly the toughest sport in existence, but on the inside, emotionally and mentally, I was so fragile, I could break from just the smallest thought or word. I fucking hated it.

 

“I just wish he’d understand now, Mom.”  _Oh fuck here come the tears. Man up, Howard._ “I hate hiding like this. It wouldn’t be so bad if I wasn’t popular, but I honestly feel like I’m letting my whole team down by keeping such a huge part of my life away from them. And I want to be with Matt. Openly.” I sniffled, looking over at my mom briefly.

 

“Sounds like you really like him.”

 

_Mom you have no idea._

 

I grinned slightly, a few tears still trickling down my face. The rest of the drive home we talked about the usual: hockey, how their trip to Hawaii was, all that good stuff. Once we were home I made us both turkey sandwiches for lunch, and we sat down at the table to eat. The pizza box was still there from two nights before, and I blushed, picking it up and taking it to the garage where the recycling bin was.

 

“Some date,” my mom said, eyeing the empty Coke cans, and I blushed again.

 

“Yeah, it was nice” I giggled.

 

“So how did you meet him?”

 

I laughed, telling my mom all about the events of the last two or so weeks. I told her about the first time I saw him, skating around the rink, strutting his perfect little ass everywhere he went. Then I told her about the note, which she found very cute, and our coffee date. Then I told her about the actual date, leaving some things out (‘things’ meaning hot sex). I said that we decided the traffic was too much, so we simply came home and got pizza instead. She believed it, which surprised me.

 

“We should have him over for dinner this week. I can make lasagna. You said he likes Italian food?”

 

“Yeah,” I said, a large smile plaguing my face. I was glad at least one of my parents approved of me. “That would be great, Mom!”

 

She grinned widely at me and rubbed my hand again. “I can talk to your dad too, if you want?”

 

I sighed, frowning, unsure of what to do about  _that._ If I were brave I’d come out, take the lashing from him, be tough and deal with it. But I wasn’t tough; I was afraid he’d take everything from me, embarrass me in front of everyone I love, begin to hate me just because of my sexuality.

 

My phone buzzed on the table. I opened up the text message, my eyes scanning the screen of my phone, and I smiled, all worry washing away.

 

_“come to open skate, matt is here.”_

 

God bless Chris Wolstenholme.

 


	8. Chapter 8

“You wore those on purpose didn’t you?”

 

Matt whipped around, confused, and I giggled, giving him a sly wink, eyeing his tight pants (I have no idea what you call them, ice skating pants?). When he saw it was me he smiled, seeming delightfully surprised. “Shh, don’t talk to me, people might find out you’re gay!” he said with a giggle.

 

I laughed, looking around the almost empty rink. Chris eyed me and gave me a grin and a thumbs up. I rolled my eyes and skated to the middle of the rink, stopping and waiting for Matt. I watched him skate around, graceful and flawless as always. Small groups of children and their families, me, Chris, and Matt were the only ones left on the ice, giving him the chance to show off a bit.

 

I watched in awe as he crouched down low to the ice, spinning in circles on a single blade while holding his other leg out. Yes, that explained the weird sex positions. I didn’t know what that was called, but regardless it was impressive. I wondered how he wasn’t dizzy. I would have puked if I had spun in a small circle so many times in a row like that. He flew past me and I watched with a dropped jaw as he leapt into the air, twisting and landing smoothly back down on the ice. He skated up to me and halted to a stop right in front of me, our bodies almost touching. His chest rose, his breath short and choppy, and small beads of sweat were gathered on his forehead, not enough to make his hair matted, but enough to make me horny. Very horny.

 

“You’re incredible,” I whispered, breathless. He smiled, blushing and looking down at his toes sheepishly.

 

“When can we...” He paused, looking around the rink, only Chris skating around now, and he leaned in. “When can we hang out again?” 

 

I smiled, giving a gentle peck to his neck, out in the open, praying we were still alone. I heard a slight giggle from Chris behind us, and thankfully he was the only one who saw.

 

“My dad is on a business trip right now, so it’s just my mom and me. She knows.”

 

Matt grinned wickedly. “Fantastic.”

 

Oh yes Matt, it was fantastic.

 

~

 

“Dom you have a visitor!”

 

“Let ‘em in!” I called back to my mom, my eyes fixed on the television in front of me. I heard the front door open and close as I watched the hockey players move around on the screen, and I barely noticed someone standing behind the couch, leaning over me. I just assumed it was Chris or Tom. They were always inviting themselves to my house at random times. I held my breath, cursing as Tampa Bay got the puck from Los Angeles. “COME ON THAT WAS OFFSIDES!” I screamed at the television as Tampa Bay scored. “Fuck!” I pouted, watching the Lightning celebrate.

 

“What does ‘offsides’ mean?” came a voice from behind me.

 

I whipped around, Matthew Bellamy standing behind me, my mom smirking from the kitchen.

 

“What are you doing here?!” I asked with a gasp.

 

“I came to see you!” he said, moving to sit next to me on the couch. I blushed, hearing a soft ‘aww’ come from the kitchen. Matt giggled, giving me a small kiss to the cheek.

 

“I’m just sitting here being lazy and watching hockey, are you sure you want to be with me right now?”

 

“Of course!”

 

I smiled. This wasn’t the first time Matt had surprised me. The last two months his visits had become more and more frequent; sometimes he even came when my dad was home and he had to make some excuse like we had a project with each other or something.

 

“So what is ‘offsides’?” he asked again.

 

I smiled, happy that he was so interested in knowing about ice hockey. He told me how much he wanted to go to a hockey game with me, and recently I’d seen him sticking around before or after his skating sessions to watch our practices. It made me really proud, actually.

 

I pulled him close to me, wrapping an arm around his slim waist as we sank into the couch. “You see that blue line on the ice?” He nodded. “So, basically, if you cross the line before the puck does, that’s offsides, and it results in a penalty.”

 

“What?”

 

I laughed. I seemed to have only confused Matt further. “In short, you can’t just sit around by the net and wait for the puck to get you then make an easy shot.”

 

“So, like, no puppy guarding?”

 

“Kind of,” I said with a giggle. “It’s easier to show in person, I’ll show you if we’re ever alone on the ice together sometime.”

 

“Mmm, ice sex,” he whispered.

 

“MATT!” I squealed as I felt a finger poke my ribs. “My mom is right here!”

 

“She can’t hear us!” he exclaimed

 

“Yes I can!” came a laughing voice from the kitchen.

 

I groaned, but couldn’t help but laugh, and I rested my head on Matt’s shoulder, praying the Kings would score.

 

“Why are they fighting?!” Matt asked, horrified and pointing at the screen as two players broke out in a fight after a stoppage of play.

 

I turned and looked at him, and couldn’t help but laugh at the dumbfounded expression on his face. “Have you honestly never seen a hockey fight before?”

 

“No, I don’t get it, why are they fighting?” I laughed at Matt, who was still horrified by the fact that two hockey players were in a fist fight out on the ice. “Do-oooo-om, tell me!” he whined.

 

“Well, sometimes, hockey players fight.”

 

“But  _why?_ ” 

 

I thought about that. There really wasn’t a logical answer; sometimes we just got ahead of ourselves and fists would fly. I shrugged and laughed, turning my focus back to the screen.

 

Matt pouted. “Have you ever been in a fight?”

 

“Multiple.”

 

“But your beautiful face!” he cried. “Aren’t you worried about breaking your nose or something?!”

 

“Matt, it’s never serious,” I said with a laugh, but he was having none of it.

 

“Dom you could get seriously hurt!”

 

I couldn’t help but giggle at Matt. He pouted again, and I gave him a soft kiss on his downturned lips. “Just don’t worry about it, okay?” Matt nodded and I smiled again. “Can I watch this hockey game now?”

 

“Yes, of course!” 

 

I leaned back, trying to focus on the game, but Matt was always fidgeting. I could tell he was  _trying_ to watch the game, key word ‘trying’. He was so cute when he fidgeted though, so I didn’t mind. His big blue eyes twitched, and he always ran his fingers through his hair. I found it absolutely adorable. Despite the constant moving around, he was intent on watching the screen. I smiled in adoration, watching him try and focus on the hockey game. It gave me an idea. A very good idea.

 


	9. Chapter 9

I smiled into Matthew’s lips as he leaned over the center console. For one moment, I wasn’t worried about us getting caught, just that great feeling I got every time I kissed him so passionately like this.

 

I moved my lips rhythmically against his, darting my tongue out to intertwine it with his. “Mmhmhm, Do-oooo-oooom,” he laughed, pulling away sheepishly, blushing. I smiled at him, leaning in to steal one more kiss from him quickly before accelerating away from the stop sign and onto the freeway. “You gonna tell me where we’re going now?”

 

“I told you silly, it’s a surprise!”

 

“Hmph!” Matt said, impatient like a small child. “I want to know!”

 

“You’ll know soon enough!” I gave him a laugh whilst I shook my head, amazed at how immature and childlike he could be, and even more amazed by how much it turned me on. I thought back to earlier in the day, about the small miracle that made this night possible.

 

_“Thank you so much Chris! Holy shit, I can’t believe you’re doing this for me!” I squealed as Chris handed me the envelope, the contents of which I was very excited about._

 

_“Dom chill man, you’re my best friend, that’s what best friends are for. And I invited the whole team to my house for dinner and stuff so basically you’ll be all alone.”_

 

_“Thank you thank you thank you!” I couldn’t thank Chris enough._

 

_“Just promise me you’ll have fun and that Matt will actually enjoy it and that it won’t just be you having a good time.”_

 

_“Of course, Chris, I’m sure Matt will love it!”_

 

We sped down the freeway, and I kept catching glimpses of Matt, impatiently tapping his toe on the floor of the car. Finally, I couldn’t keep it a secret any longer. We’d been dating for a solid two and a half months and keeping secrets was now impossible. I pulled the tickets from my fleece jacket pocket and dropped them in his lap. His eyes lit up.

 

“Where did you get these?!”

 

I smiled and gave him a wink. “My entire team has season tickets. You have Chris’ seat, and the rest of the team is at his house for dinner tonight, so those tickets will be taken by random strangers. We’ll be all alone.”

 

“Oh my God,” he whispered. I was worried he wouldn’t like this idea, that he’d think I was trying to force him into liking a sport just because I played it, but the way his eyes lit up when he saw the Kings tickets, I knew it was a good idea. “So, like, we’re going to the game.”

 

“Yes Matt, hence  _tickets,_ ” I said with a laugh as I waved at the two tickets he held in his hand.

 

“I just, I can’t believe this, you actually want to be seen in public with me?”

 

“What do you mean?” The question hit me hard.  _Does Matt think I‘m not taking this relationship as seriously as he is? Please don’t let him think that._

 

“We just don’t go out much, I guess. I mean...” He waved his hands spastically around in the air in typical Matt Bellamy fashion, speaking rapidly to the point where I had to strain to hear him properly. “Like, we go to dinner and stuff, and I know you can’t with your dad, and, just...” His sentence trailed off, and I took my opportunity, plopping a big kiss on his lips as I pulled into a parking spot outside of the Staples Center. He jumped back in his seat, surprised by my sudden movements and I couldn’t help but giggle. “What was that for?!” he squealed.

 

“Because I love you, that’s why. Now come on, I want to watch them warm-up!” I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt and hopped enthusiastically from the car. I moved around to Matt’s side, opening his door like the proper gentleman I was, only to find him frozen in his seat, staring straight up at me. “Matt, you okay?” I asked, suddenly very worried.

 

“You... You love me?”

 

_Had I actually said that out loud?_

 

“Yes,” I said slowly. “Yes, Matt, I love you.”

 

“Whoa,” he whispered. Before I knew it, he had unbuckled his seatbelt, jumped from the car, and was in my arms. I stepped back, his small weight not affecting me much, but the force made me a bit off-balanced. I held him tightly, feeling his arms wrap around me and up the back of my jacket and tee shirt. His soft fingers massaged the muscles in my back as he laid soft kisses on my nose. “I love you too, Dom. I really love you.” 

 

My heart leaped from my chest, out my throat, and right into the hands of Matthew Bellamy. He stole my heart with those words. I never thought I’d get the opportunity to love someone while I was still in high school, but fuck everything, Matt gave me that chance. I kissed him once more on the lips, and pulled away.

 

He grabbed my hand, and we smiled at each other. “Let’s go watch hockey!” he screamed with glee. I could only comply.

 

~

 

“YEAH!” Matt screamed, flinging his hands up wildly as the Kings scored right at the buzzer. I stood up enthusiastically, cheering at the top of my lungs as the players down on the ice celebrated. “So that’s the end of the second quarter now?” Matt asked.

 

I giggled loudly. He had so much to learn. “Nope, second period. Three periods per game.”

 

“So, what do they call this? It’s not half time. Three quarter time?”

 

He was  _so fucking cute_ when he tried to figure this hockey stuff out. “Second intermission.”

 

“Ah, that makes sense,” he said, disappointed in himself for not figuring that out. 

 

“You want something to eat or drink? Bathroom?”

 

“Unless it’s to suck that wonderful dick of yours, I’m fine here,” he said cheekily. I stuck my tongue out at him, and sat back down in my seat, wrapping my arm around his shoulders and pulling him into me.

 

“I think I’ll stay right here.”

 

“Good,” Matt said simply. “Oh God, they have a kiss cam?!”

 

I looked up at the jumbotron where Matt was pointing, the image on random couples, making them kiss in front of all the attendees. “Yep,” I said with a laugh, smelling Matt’s hair as he leaned into me. He always smelled so feminine, but not in a bad way; there was always that hint of strawberry in his shampoo that made my head spin.

 

“What if it lands on us?!” Matt asked excitedly.

 

“It probably won’t,” I said, sad to ruin Matt’s excitement. He pouted. 

 

I glanced down at my phone, checking a few texts from Tom and such, until I felt a finger poking me in the shoulder. “Dom! Dom look!”

 

“What,” I said half-heartedly, swiping my thumb to delete a few texts.

 

“DOM! Look! We’re on the kiss cam!”

 

Suddenly, my head was being pulled by Matt’s hand, and he was kissing me. I blushed, hearing the audience cheer. My lips automatically moved against his, and I smiled into the kiss, a wonderful surprise from the camera operator. I leaned over the armrest between our seats, taking possession over the kiss, dominating Matt’s lips. He moaned as my tongue moved inside his mouth, its new favorite place to be. I kissed him happily for a solid ten or so seconds, the crowd cheerily excitedly the entire time, until I finally pulled away, placing a soft peck on his cheek before giggling happily.

 

Matt smiled happily as the camera moved to another couple. “That was so cool!”

 

I shook my head, amazed, and then a text message popped up from Chris.

 

_“you know i have connections”_

 

Always wonderful. I sent a silent thank you to Chris, wherever he was. Probably sucking some girl’s face off. I pushed that disgusting thought out of my mind and focused my attention back to Matt, grinning widely with one of those stupid huge smiles spread across his entire face, making me dizzy with his absolute perfection.

 

“What are you grinning so madly about?” I asked, poking him in the ribs, resulting in a giant, high-pitched squeal, that squeal I found so adorable.

 

“You’re getting so much sex tonight.”

 

After that statement I shut my mouth, the last period of the game dragging painfully slow.

 

~

 

“No, you on top,” Matt mumbled when I pulled his slim waist down to let our hips meet, now in the quiet privacy of his bedroom.

 

“But...” I gasped, biting Matt’s lip as his fingers kneaded behind my neck. “When we first met, you said you didn’t like being on the bottom.”

 

“No Dominic, that is not what I said. I said I only like being on the bottom when it’s with someone I trust. I trust you.” He thrusted down, our clothed erections brushing, and I gasped. “Fuck me,” he growled. “Be rough.”

 

“Jesus,” I whispered, my cock jolting. I tried to remember the last time I had had sex being on top. It had been a while, and I couldn’t  _wait_ to pound into Matt and make him scream.

 

“Fuck me hard. Dominate me.”

 

I growled, lunging forward and biting down on his lip. Hard. This was going to be fun. I moved down Matt’s body, slowly removing each item of clothing and tossing it to the floor carelessly. I took his slim wrists in my hand and casually moved them above his head. “Be a good boy, Matthew,” I whispered, flicking my tongue to lick a bead of sweat from his face that had already trailed down. I pulled off my tee shirt and quickly stripped off my jeans. He moved to pull down my boxers but I slapped his hand away, pulling them down myself. “Prepare yourself,” I growled. He whimpered slightly, and I gave him a wicked smirk before grabbing a condom he had sitting oh so casually on his bedside table. I stuck my fingers in his mouth. “Suck,” I commanded. He obediently sucked on my fingers and released them with a pop, the two digits slick and slippery.

 

I lowered my fingers to Matthew’s opening, pushing one in. He groaned, so I took that as the cue that it was okay to keep going. I’d fingered him a few times before, and as soon as I pushed in a second, my fingers immediately reached up, rubbing the velvety walls and twisting every which way. “Fuck fuck fuck  _fuck,_ ” Matt moaned. I loved watching the way the irises of his bright blue eyes would dilate every time he was being pleasured. It was a huge turn on.

 

After a few minutes of scissoring, I pulled my fingers out, resisting against the tight muscles. “Ohhh-hh.  _Shit,_ ” Matt moaned, squirming beneath me. I chuckled, rolling the condom onto my pulsing cock and lining myself up with Matt’s opening.

 

“Matthew,” I mumbled, the sound very deep and gruff. “Stop squirming.” He moaned as I pushed in, and I silenced him with my lips as the insides of Matt squeezed against me. I began to gently rock my hips. Oh he was so perfect. More perfect than I ever could have imagined.

 

“Oh Jesus Dom,” Matt groaned, pulling my hair. My thrusts were still very gentle, at least until Matt let out a loud growl, escaping from somewhere deep inside his throat. With that one dirty growl, I started pounding into him.

 

The room was not silent. The dirty echo of skin against skin and heavy moans from both of us floated around the room, filling our ears. His body was so perfect beneath mine, and I had forgotten how much I loved being on top, filling the dominant role. And then his screams.

 

Matthew Bellamy’s screams when he was being dominated were the filthiest, sexiest thing I had ever heard. They weren’t high pitched, like his falsetto laugh when I tickled his ribs, but deep, throaty,  _dirty._ So dirty my hair stood on end and electricity buzzed through my entire body.

 

My hand reached down, grasping Matt’s firm cock and stroking roughly. He groaned, submissive just to my touch, and that submission was beautiful to me; I never wanted it to end.

 

Of course, the beautiful moment, the moment which I wanted to last until infinity, ended as soon as Matt emptied himself into my hand and I emptied myself into him. It didn’t take us long to get there, with how hard I was thrusting and pounding into him and how quick his hips snapped up to meet mine. His breathing was heavy and he was sweatier than usual after sex. I pushed his hair from his eyes, giggling at the way it spiked up in random directions.

 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but...” Matt moved his lips up, snatching a quick kiss. “I think I prefer you on top.”

 

I smirked. “Whore.”

 


	10. Chapter 10

 

I had never been to a figure skating competition before. When Matt asked me to come to “the big one” in April and support him, I’d nearly cried, my super emotional gay side showing, because I honestly had thought he’d never ask. Convincing Tom to go along with me was another story though; I couldn’t go alone, seeing as that would probably be a bit suspicious. It took about an hour of convincing, but once I finally pounded it into Tom’s head that there would be tons of girls skating around in minimal clothing there, he finally complied.

 

When we entered the skating rink, we were both surprised by how big and official everything looked. There was a massive crowd and banners everywhere. I took a program, and realized just how big a deal it was. It was the California state qualifying competition for the national championships. Was my boyfriend an Olympic contender? Matt had never told me that he was  _that_ good. He’d always been so tight-lipped about his figure skating, never really telling me much about competitions and such. I eyed the list, realizing we’d have to sit through 55 girls, and then 30 boys, until Matt. He was the last to go in the men’s competition.

 

“We probably shouldn’t be eating this,” Tom said as we sat down in the stands, a bag of popcorn with extra butter nestled between us.

 

“Coach can suck my dick, I’m starving,” I said as I stuffed my face with the buttery goodness.

 

“I’m going to tell him you said that,” Tom giggled.

 

I laughed. “Go ahead, it’s not like he’ll kick me off the team. The championship is two weeks away, and I’m the best chance we’ve got.”

 

“Cocky. But seriously, wow,” Tom sighed. “This season sped by, didn’t it?”

 

“This entire year did, to be honest. I feel like I just met Matt yesterday, it’s been, what, almost seven months now?”

 

“Our senior year is almost over,” Tom whispered softly. “Prom and graduation are, like, a month away.”

 

“Fuck, that was fast.” I looked at Tom, sudden fear taking over my entire body at the thought of it. Nostalgia floated over me, memories of the last four years making me a bit misty eyed.

 

“Aw Dom are you crying? How gay.”

 

“Yeah a little,” I admitted with a laugh. “Time for bigger and better things, right?”

 

“Yep. Ooh look, the first competitor!”

 

We watched the competition closely, our hands sufficiently covered in butter, applauding when necessary, saying “oooh” and pouting when someone fell, and so on. I pulled out my program, matching each skater with her name. I thought it would get a bit boring after the first few, but to be honest, I was so anxious to see my wonderful boyfriend doing what he did best that the time raced by. Pretty soon, the women’s competition was over, awards were given out, the Zamboni had taken a good run over the ice, and the men’s competition was well under way. 

 

I had texted Matt earlier, asking him if he wanted a good luck kiss, but he had never replied, and I had no idea where to find him in the midst of everyone. Plus, he’d warned me previously that he practically shits himself with nerves before a big competition. I laughed, remembering our conversation about it, and his reply of “Only if you don’t mind me puking all over you” when I asked him if I could spend time with him beforehand.

 

I bit my lip watching the male skaters. Their routines seemed more complex than the girls, maybe because their bodies were built differently, and they could gain more speed. The competition looked tough, my amateur eye never able to spot any sort of flaws or mistakes. It seemed like every skater was scoring high, in the 8’s and 9’s.

 

“How do you think Matt’s holding up?” Tom asked me.

 

“Probably shitting himself and ready to faint,” I said with a smile. “He’ll be fine once he’s on the ice, he loves to show off.”

 

“Yes I know, you two lovebirds.”

 

“Fuck off Tom.” I gave Tom a friendly shove. “Oh, there’s Matt’s mom, mind if I go say hi?”

 

“Do as you please,” Tom said. “I’ll just, sit here. Alone. While you talk to your future mother-in-law.”

 

I blushed, and hurried down a few rows in the stands.  _Why is he such a smartass all the time?_

 

“Hi Mrs. Bellamy!” I said cheerily, sitting next to the older woman.

 

“Dom! You’re here!” She patted the spot next to her, and I sat down on the blanket. “Matthew is going to be so happy to see you once he’s finished. He’s a nervous wreck.”

 

I tilted my head back, letting a laugh escape. “He told me he gets really nervous before.”

 

“Yeah he does. I don’t know why, he’s so talented, he has nothing to worry about!” I watched Matt’s mom smile, looking so proud of her son. I was proud of him too. I really loved Matt’s family; the second he introduced me to them I knew I would grow very close to them. His mom had always been my favorite though. She treated me like her own son, even in the early stages of our relationship. My mom and her quickly became friends as well, making it easier for Matt to be at my house without questioning from my dad.

 

“So, how do you like figure skating competitions so far?” she asked me. “Must be so different for you!”

 

“Yeah it really is,” I replied. “I thought it would get a bit boring to be honest, don’t tell Matt, but I’m actually really enjoying it. It’s a nice change!”

 

“Yeah they’re fun, aren’t they?”

 

I smiled and nodded, turning back around to find Tom talking with some girls. “Well, Tom’s flirting, I guess that’s my cue to go back and get him under control again,” I said with a laugh.

 

“You go on ahead, I’ll find you when it’s over!”

 

“Okay, bye Mrs. Bellamy!” I waved, and made my way back up the stands and next to Tom, who was now entering his phone number in some brunette’s phone.

 

“Sorry Dom,” Tom giggled, pushing the girl away. So polite of him.

 

I rolled my eyes, reaching my hand over to take some more popcorn and pouting with the realization that the bag was completely empty. “Pig,” I said flatly.

 

“You left me, what else was I supposed to do?!”

 

“Watch the competition.”

 

“I’m not gay, Dom. Unlike you, I don’t really want to watch little guys skating around wearing tight pants.”

 

“Well, I only want to watch one,” I said with a smirk and a lick of my lips.

 

“I’m going to throw up.”

 

“Ooh, if he does well, we’ll probably have sex tonight,” I giggled.

 

“Dom, knock it off.”

 

“Mmmm, maybe a nice rimming.”

 

“Stop it,” Tom commanded. “That’s disgusting.”

 

“I think you mean  _glorious,_ ” I said with a laugh.

 

“Please shut up, I think I’m seriously about to puke all over.” 

 

I laughed at Tom. “A blow job would be fun too, oh the possibilities.”

 

“You-” Tom stuck his finger into my chest, pouting at me. “Need to fucking knock it off!” The little smile on his face made me realize he was only half serious. I shook my head at him, letting those little gay high pitched giggles escape again. “Matt is next, so you’ll be quiet now, right?” he asked.

 

“Shit, yeah!” I nearly squealed, sitting up straight and looking down onto the ice just as Matt entered, the name ‘Matthew Bellamy’ flashing across the big screen. “Oh my god he looks so hot!” I said excitedly.

 

Matt was dressed in black pants, white pinstripes running down both legs, and a red top with a white swirl pattern going across his chest. Even from our spot high up in the stands, I could see the bright blue of his eyes as he skated one lap around, looking completely comfortable, not nervous at all.

 

I held my breath as he stopped in the middle of the rink, the music starting, his arms swinging in perfect time. I had never seen him skate a full routine before. “I can’t skate in front of only one person unless it’s my coach or my mom!” he had whined. Now that I was watching him in his best form, I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my lips.

 

Everything about him was perfect and precise. The upbeat classical song was a nice change from the weird techno songs most of the guys had skated to.  _Of course Matt would pick classical._ I held my breath as he did his first jump (I think it was called a toe loop, but what did I know?), and landed cleanly, seeming so simple and easy for him. Some of the speeds he got up to amazed me, then the way he could stop so quickly and flawlessly. We stopped quickly in hockey all the time, but not like that. Not to the point where it looked actually beautiful and somewhat glamorous. 

 

The middle of the routine went by slowly, lots of long runs around the ice and some spins. Matt’s footwork was incredible to watch, and my heart leapt as he passed on our side, my eyes seeing a huge smile spread across his face. 

 

I could hear the music reaching its climax, so I figured his routine was almost up, which meant the last jump. It was the only jump Matt had ever told me about, and apparently it was the hardest one, one he’d never attempted in competition before: the triple axel, whatever the hell that means. Something about a forward take off and extra rotation that I didn’t understand, but I held my breath anyway when I saw Matt preparing. I gasped as he took off, biting my lip as his body twisted and spun in the air, then cheering when he landed cleanly. A smile spread across my face and I stood up clapping as Matt ended his last spin and held his arms out behind his back, his hips jutting forward just as the music ended.

 

The entire crowd was standing up and clapping, and Matt was taking it all in. I could see his chest heaving, but it was nothing compared to the huge smile across his lips. He stood in the center of the ice, waiting for the judges to tally up their scores. I sat silent, holding my breath, awaiting the verdict.

 

A voice came over the speaker. “Matthew Bellamy, Men’s Division. Score: 9.5, 9.7, 8.9, 9.8, 9.7.”

 

I screamed. I cried. I hugged Tom. There hadn’t been a score like that the entire competition. “He won!” I cheered, hugging Tom again. 

 

“Slow down, Dom!” Tom laughed. “I’m not your boyfriend!” 

 

I was just so happy, I nearly sprinted down the stands, giving Mrs. Bellamy a quick hug, not saying anything, running for where Matt was. I slowed down, seeing him talking to his couch, that great grin still there. He eyed me, and the grin got only bigger. I glanced around us, thankful that Matt was in a semi-private area. I moved forward quickly, and wordlessly moved my arms around his waist, squeezing him as tight as my arms allowed me to.

 

“Congratulations,” I whispered into his ear, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

 

“You came!” he squealed, kissing me firmly on the lips.

 

“Of course!”

 

“Aw,” came a voice from behind us. I turned around, seeing Matthew’s coach standing there, and gave her a smile. 

 

Matt squeezed me into his side. “Caiti, this is my boyfriend, Dom.”

 

“Hello Dom, I’ve heard a lot about you. This one doesn’t shut up about you at practices,” she said with a wink.

 

“Can’t help it,” Matt said, kissing me on the top of my head. Caiti smiled again, and left us in the small corner, still isolated from the crowds, so we were safe. “Do you have your hockey skates with you, by any chance?” Matt asked slyly.

 

“Yeah, they’re in Tom’s car. Why?”

 

“Well, after the competition, skaters and their families and stuff are free to skate around for a bit. And I think you know how much I want to kiss on the ice in front of a bunch of people.”

 

I felt my stomach drop, suddenly very uncomfortable. I looked out at the rink, the stands, all the people. There was bound to be  _someone_ there who could let their little secret fly. “Matt, I-”

 

“You don't want to,” he said with a pout.

 

“Matt, there could be someone who sees, and then my dad will kill me, and-”

 

“Forget it Dom, forget I even asked.” Matt dropped his arms from my sides, leaning down to loosen up his skates.

 

“Matt, are you... mad?” I could feel my throat locking up when I heard no answer. “Matt, baby, please answer me.”

 

“Just, have you ever thought about how I feel? About all this?” He waved his hands around sporadically. I could feel my eyes begin to well up, just from two sentences. “You think it’s easy for me? Keeping this all a big secret? I do so much for you Dom, and it’s like you never show it. You won’t even man up, just this one time, and give me a kiss?”

 

“Matt, please, I don’t want to fight.”

 

“Me neither Dom, but you know what, I’m sick of this. I’m sick of hiding who  _I_  am because  _you’re_ too afraid to come out. Why should I have to pay?”

 

“Because you love me,” I choked out.

 

“Well you obviously don’t love me back.”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?!” I screamed. “You know I love you Matt, you mean the world to me.”

 

“Hey Dom.” The voice came from behind me, and I spun around, facing Tom.

 

“Get out,” I shouted. He flinched, scurrying away quickly, and I turned back to Matt, who was now crying. “Matt, I-” I sniffled, hating seeing him crying, moving forward to wrap him in another hug. He pushed me off.

 

“Don’t.”

 

“Matt...”

 

“Just,” he whispered. “I just need a little bit.”

 

I stepped back, astonished. Was this actually happening? I shook my head, and walked away quickly, tears tumbling. I scurried past Matt’s mom and Caiti, avoiding their attempts to catch my attention. They were completely oblivious to what had just happened. I found Tom waiting by the restroom. “We need to go.” He saw my tears and nodded, understanding.

 

Tom drove home. I cried the whole way. I cried even harder when I received Matt’s text as Tom pulled up to his driveway.  _“I think we should take a break.”_


	11. Chapter 11

That stupid cliché “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone” had always been just that in my mind: an over-used phrase that had literally no application to my life at all. But fuck, once I’d experienced life with Matthew, it was hell going back to life being single.

 

He called me that night, and I answered the phone with hope, that this was just a silly argument that we would fix and then carry on with our growing relationship. Instead, he said our relationship had officially ended. Three words echoed in my mind the rest of the night and the next morning, the way he had said them with so much anger. “It’s over Dom”. It’s over. It’s over. Over and done with, continuing on with our separate lives like it never happened. Matt went back to ignoring me, at school, the ice rink, everywhere. It fucking sucked.

 

“You okay man?” Chris asked when I sat down with a ‘huff’ in the locker room after Wednesday’s practice. The championship game was a week and a half away and for the first time in my life I honestly couldn’t care less. I gave him a shrug then bent over to untie the laces on my skates. “You don’t seem to be holding up very well,” Chris said softly.

 

“It’s my first major break up Chris, cut me some slack.”

 

“Sorry man, anything I can do to help?”

 

“Get Matt back for me,” I said simply.

 

“I can’t do that Dom, that’s up to you.”

 

“I should just forget it. He’ll probably have a new boyfriend soon. He’s bound to.”

 

“Nah,” Chris said as he pulled his jersey off. “He loves you too much for that.”

 

“Probably doesn’t love me anymore,” I mumbled, pulling my jersey off as well. I gave a tempting sniff, immediately wrinkling my nose up. Losing Matt had caused me to be out of it most of the time, which resulted in forgetting lots of things, like homework and of course the more simple things, like buying deodorant. I silently finished changing out of my gear, and shuffled out of the locker room just as the rest of the team came in. “See ya later Chris,” I said quietly, sneaking by unnoticed by the rest of my team as I made my way back out to my car. I saw Matt’s car pulling in, willed myself not to cry, and left the ice rink as fast as I could.

 

I slaved through my homework, not really seeing much point in doing it since graduation was so soon, but whatever. Time droned on and on. My dad didn't notice anything peculiar going on with my behavior, but my mom must've known right away. That night I broke down once my dad left for drinks with his friends. 

 

Before I had met Matt, there’d been a hole in my life, which I would temporarily fill by fucking whoever I wanted at clubs and bars. Then Matt came along and became a permanent filling for the hole. It sounds stupid and incredibly gay, but I just wasn’t myself without Matt. He was part of me now, a missing piece I wasn’t aware of before he came and swept me off my feet. I collapsed onto my bed and began to sob into the pillow, my tears staining the material and snot dripping grossly from my nose.

 

There was a soft knock on my bedroom door. “Dom?”

 

“Go away,” I groaned at my mom, wanting to be left alone in my over-dramatic misery for awhile.

 

“Dom, I’m worried about you.”

 

“Well there’s nothing you can do to help. Go away!” I screamed angrily into my pillow.

 

“Dominic James Howard!” she snapped.

 

“Mom!” I lifted my face from the pillow and stared at her standing in the doorway, angry tears beginning to tumble down my red and blotchy face.

 

“Oh Dominic,” she said softly, moving forward and holding me in her arms. “It’s going to be okay. Maybe Matthew just wasn’t the one.”

 

“No Mom, he  _was_ the one. And he still is. I love him.”

 

She giggled slightly. “Sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off with a daughter.”

 

I stared open mouthed at her.

 

“I’m just kidding,” she said, pulling me into another tight hug, the kind only mothers give. “But I really don’t know how to help you, Dom. I want to help you get him back.”

 

“But...”

 

 

“Your father,” she finished for me.

 

“Yeah,” I said softly with a frown.

 

“I’ve tried to talk to him, you know...”

 

 

“He knows?!” I exclaimed.

 

“No Dom, no. I would never do that to you. But occasionally when he sees something on the news and gets worked up about it, I’ve tried to show him just how unreasonable he’s being about the whole thing. I don’t want you to have to hide from him for the rest of your life.”

 

I shrugged. “Whatever. Can I please be alone and have some time to myself right now?”

 

 

My mom nodded. “I’ll let you be. Let me know if you want to talk more, okay sweetie?”

 

“‘Kay,” I replied. My mom left, and I fell back onto my bed, crying some more. Life was shit.

 

~

 

 

“It’s been a long season,” Coach started in the locker room. It was the last time I would ever hear his pre-game speech. Ever. Despite my recent depression, emotions spread through me, the sudden realization that this was the last high school hockey game that I would ever play finally hitting me square in the face. “You’ve all practiced hard, for this moment. I can’t take all the credit though. I think a lot of you owe it to your captain.” Coach looked at me and smiled. “Howard, it’s your senior year, your last game. It’s been a pleasure working with you the past four years, and this team will miss you.” A mumble of agreements spread through the locker room and I couldn’t help but blush a little bit. “How about we add one more win, yeah?”

 

I smiled widely, forgetting for a second about Matt and all the drama of the past two weeks. We hadn’t spoken since our conversation on the phone, and with a wave of sadness and depression, I accepted that he wouldn’t come back to me unless I did something drastic, captured his attention, did something so remarkable that he would forget the fight and break up had even happened in the first place. I’d spent many sleepless nights trying to think of something I could do, but spray painting “I love you Matthew Bellamy” on the side of the school building was illegal and would probably land me in the principal’s office and with a nice case of suspension to add to my high school report. Other than that, my mind came up blank.

 

“Dom, would you like to say a few words?” Coach asked me, snapping me out of my thinking.

 

“Oh, yeah.” I looked around at all my teammates, my best friends, and gave them a smile. “I know that I’m the captain and all,” I started. “But I honestly wouldn’t be worth anything if wasn’t for all you guys. Chris...” I turned to look at my best friend, who was smiling widely at me, probably glad to see a small change in my attitude. “Thanks for always having my back. And Tom, I swear to god, you are the best right wing I could ever ask for. Ever.” I continued to individually call out each of my teammates, thanking them for their contribution throughout the season. Before I knew it, it was time to go out on the ice.

 

The band was playing loudly as we skated out. I stole a glance up at the student section, which looked to be the entire school. I searched frantically, but didn’t see a head of brow hair atop pale white skin like I’d hoped. I shouldn’t have expected Matt to be there. He probably only came to my games before because I was in them. I saw my mom and dad, and gave them a small wave, a smile spreading across my face as they smiled proudly.  _At least Dad doesn’t hate me for one thing._

 

Warm-ups went well. They kept my mind off of him, and I felt like the team was on top of the game. As the lights dimmed and everyone removed their hats for the Star Spangled Banner, nerves overtook me. What if Matt was here, ready to make up, and I fucked it up again? What if I let the whole team down because I was too busy thinking of him?

 

I pushed the brunette out of my mind, the beautiful, talented brunette who I still loved with all my heart. I had to let him go, and focus on the game. I had to.

 

The second the puck was tossed to the ice and we took possession, my mind focused on the task at hand. We had to win.

 

~

 

Second intermission. One period to go. The band played loudly; we were able to hear it from the locker room. Or maybe that was the opposing team’s band, considering we were down two. I sighed angrily, and Tom swore under his breath beside me. 

 

“This is not how tonight was supposed to go,” Coach began. “We need to get ourselves together guys!” The entire team erupted into a chorus of mumbles and sighs. “What happened to the team I saw a few weeks ago? The team that was so prepared a few hours ago, before the game even began? I want that team back. Howard!” Coach looked at me. “What’s up man? You missed an open net shot!”

 

_Because Matthew Bellamy won’t get out of my fucking mind._

 

“I’m so sorry Coach,” I groaned.

 

“Don’t apologize to me Dom, apologize to your team. Come on guys!” Coach was exasperated now, as we all were. “We’ve got to step our game up!”

 

When we all skated back onto the ice, Chris came up behind me. “Come on Dom, we can do this.”

 

I looked at him with a glare, a look of doubt, but then another person caught my attention behind him. He was sitting on the edge of the student section, squished between two girls I recognized as skaters on the figure skating team. His pale skin stood out against everyone else’s, and my breath caught.  _Matt. It’s Matt. Matt came._ And did he look as beautiful and perfect as ever. A smile spread across my face, a burning in my heart. My legs felt fresh, not sore and weak like they were just a few minutes before, and I felt like I had a brand new type of energy was coursing through my veins.

 

Every time I was off the ice or there was a stoppage of play, I’d sneak a glance up at Matt in the stands. He didn’t seem extremely excited, but not disappointed either. We never made eye contact, and I was okay with that, strangely. Just the thought of him being there, supporting me, gave me all the strength I needed. Five minutes into the third period, Tom scored, and the student section erupted into loud cheers. We were only one point behind now.

 

I saw the puck coming toward me. I moved without thinking, and then I did it. I did something I’ve never done before. The referee blew the whistle and pointed at me. “Offsides.”  _Fuck._ I could hear Matt’s voice in my head, asking me what offsides meant, and how I’d gloated to him about it never happening to me. Until now. Reluctantly, I skated over to the penalty box, something I didn’t want to have happen with only five minutes of play left and when we were still down one.

 

The time droned on and on. Luckily, my team managed to keep it out of our opponent’s possession, making their power play pretty much useless. I watched the clock, and when it finally hit zero, skated as fast I could back to join my teammates. I immediately intercepted a pass, and found an opening. The goalie eyed me as I barreled towards him. At the last second, I swung to the right and shot the puck into the net. Somehow, we’d managed to tied it back up.

 

Two minutes left. Everyone was on their feet. This was how a championship game was supposed to be: tied in the third and final period, both student sections screaming at the top of their lungs for their respective teams, the bands getting louder and louder by the second as the players gave their all. 

 

We kept the puck in neutral territory for a bit, not much happening. I stole another look at the clock. 30 seconds.

 

“Dom!” The voice came from behind me, and I whipped around to find my best friend I went on power mode, Chris’ slap shot hitting my stick in just the nick of time. I found another opening, and skated for my life to the goal. I faked a shot., and the goalie went down, giving me just enough time to slide it in behind his legs. The buzzer echoed through the arena. I threw my stick down on the ice. That was it. We’d just won!

 

Someone jumped on my back, and before I knew it, my whole team was dog piled on the ice, myself of course on the bottom. 

 

“We fucking did it!” Chris screamed, for once not caring that this was a school event.

 

“Holy crap!” I was aware of... What was that? Confetti? Yes, they were throwing confetti out onto the ice; that hadn’t been there in previous years.

 

Eventually we all managed to get off the ice and join Coach in the middle of the arena, where we were presented the 6A Hockey State Championship trophy. And then I started crying.

 

The news was there. Everyone was cheering. Through blurry eyes, I looked in the audience again, and eyed Matt. He was standing up and clapping, a small smile on his face. It was good enough for me.

 

“And now we’d like to have a few words with the team’s captain, Dominic Howard,” said a tall blonde reporter. She gave me a smile. “Dom, it’s been a long season for you all, anything final things you’d like to say?”

 

Matt was getting up to leave. He couldn’t leave. I wasn’t about to let him leave. I grabbed the microphone from the woman’s hand. I had to fix things, make them right again.

 

“Matthew Bellamy,” I said out of breath, my chest heaving up and down rapidly. My palms were sweaty, and I had no idea what the fuck I was doing. He turned around, thank heaven, and I swear I saw an eyebrow go up. “Matt,” I began again.

 

“Oh my god,” Chris and Tom whispered simultaneously from beside me.

 

“Matt, I love you.” All my limbs were shaking as I said those words. My head pounded; it was like an alien had taken over my body, the alien of myself that wanted to declare all of this so many months ago but didn’t have the fucking balls to do it. “Matt, I know I’m an idiot, but I love you so much. Will you go to prom with me?”

 

“I knew it!” someone shouted from the stands. I turned and gave the guy a cheeky smile, one of my longtime friends since elementary school. I turned back to where Matt had been standing. He was gone. 

 

_Shit._

 

“Umm, okay then,” I said awkwardly, handing the microphone back to the reporter. How stupid of me. I declare my love and then he leaves. Suddenly, before I can get another word out, I’m engulfed from behind. I spin around, glistening blue eyes staring into mine, and my heart leaps from my chest. And then he kissed me. In front of all those people, my coach, my team, the entire student section, my mom, my dad, the other school, the news. Everyone. And I honestly didn’t give a flying fuck.

 

“I love you so much,” he whispered in my ear. “And yes, I will go to prom with you.”

 

I gave him the biggest smile I could muster, tears spilling from my eyes. Everything was perfect again.


	12. Chapter 12

“Baby, what happened?” Matt asked, pulling my chin up and brushing his lips against the dark purple bruise that was forming on my cheekbone. He kissed me gently and all I could do to hide the tears was bury my face into his chest. “Dom, shhhhhh.” He stroked my cheek gently and laid soft kisses all over my face. “My beautiful Dominic, please tell me.”

 

~

 

_“I can't believe this is happening! My own son!” Dad exclaimed. We were at home, yelling at each other in the kitchen. It was the first time we'd spoken since my declaration at the game just a few short hours ago. “Is this a joke, Dominic James?”_

 

_“No, I love him!” I screamed, tears of anger stinging my eyes._

 

_“Is this a publicity stunt? Because if it is, it’s a damn stupid one, Dom.”_

 

_“Robert, just-” Mom started to say._

 

_“Are you just going to support him while he plays some sick joke about being a homo, Susan?” Dad interrupted._

 

_“Dad,” I said, trying to calm down and approach the argument with a level and even head. “I’ve known I was gay for awhile. This isn’t a joke. I swear, I love Matthew with all my heart.”_

 

_He turned to my mom. “And you’ve known about this?” he asked._

 

_Mom nodded and Dad looked disgusted._

 

 _“Get out of my house,” my dad said, pointing toward the front door. Tears spilled over, and I felt my jaw hit the floor._ I’m being kicked out? Of my own home? 

 

_“But Dad,” I pleaded. A smack to my face and I was knocked to the floor. I looked up in fear, at my mom’s tear dotted face and my dad’s shocked face as he clutched his fist. I lifted my finger, wincing as I felt my cheek, already swollen and incredibly tender. I felt sick, and scurried backwards, away from the monster that was now staring at me in horror. I bolted from the front door and into my car, driving to Matthew’s house as quickly as I could._

 

~

 

“Love, how could he do this to you?” Matt asked gingerly, holding an ice pack up to my now completely swollen cheek bone. He pressed soft kisses to my forehead as I cried and told him everything that had happened once I’d gotten home from the post game celebrations. “I love you so much, I’m so sorry.”

 

“I knew it was going to happen,” I said softly. “But I couldn’t lose you. I missed you too much.”

 

“I missed you too Dom. So fucking much.”

 

It was past two in the morning but Matt’s family had thankfully welcomed me into their home with open arms and a cup of hot chocolate. I sat on Matt’s bed with him, engulfed in his arms, scooping the marshmallows out with my tongue and letting them slip down my throat. Everything would be okay, as long as Matt was here with me.

 

I could feel myself becoming more and more tired, and eventually I was dozing off in Matt’s arms. I was vaguely aware of my pants and shirt being removed, then my socks. The bed shifted and I managed to open one eye, seeing Matt strip down to his boxers. God, I had missed that.

 

He eyed me looking at him and snickered. “Like what you see?” he asked with a wink.

 

I gave him a soft smile, gazing at his beautiful pale white thighs, practically hairless, his muscles flexing beneath the skin. He laid back down next to me and scooped me up, spooning me from behind with his arms wrapped protectively around me. Gentle kisses were trailed down my neck and spine, and I shivered from underneath the sensitive pecks. “Mmmm, missed this,” I mumbled. “Missed you.”

 

“I love you so much Dom. You’re the greatest man anyone could ask for. Goodnight my little champion.” There was nothing better than falling asleep in Matt’s arms again.

 

~

 

The birds chirping from outside Matthew’s open bedroom window woke me from my deep and peaceful sleep. I flipped over, still held by the beautiful sleeping brunette. His eyelashes fluttered, and suddenly blue was engulfing me as his eyes opened. “Good morning sweetheart,” I whispered softly, moving forward and pecking his nose lightly. He giggled, and pressed himself into me, seeking my warmth. I could feel his morning hardness pressing into my thigh, but that could wait. We were long overdue for an intense cuddling session, and if I had the choice, I’d hug and kiss him for the rest of my life, even if that meant no sex ever again.

 

“How does your cheek feel?” he asked, stroking his fingers across the bruised skin. I flinched, the pain much more intense than it had been the night before. “C’mon, let’s get you some Tylenol or something.”

 

I groaned in protest. “Wanna stay here and cuddle with you though.”

 

“Oh Dom you’re such a sap. Come on, let’s go, we can always come back to bed. It is Sunday after all, and my family is out all day, we have all the time in the world and the entire house to ourselves.”

 

I reluctantly followed Matt out of his room and into the main part of his house and away from the warm and comfortable bed. He handed me a glass of water and some pills, which I swallowed quickly, before making my way over to his pantry, looking for food. In the time of our relationship, I’d made myself completely comfortable in his home, making my way around and getting things I needed for myself. 

 

As I munched on some Honey Nut Cheerios, I watched him begin to brew coffee for us. He stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring absentmindedly out the window into the backyard, and running his hand through his hair. He looked absolutely gorgeous like that, the sun shining on his profile, making his skin simply glow. I walked out to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, kissing underneath his ear. “Love you,” I said.

 

“Mmmm, love you too,” he moaned, turning around in my arms and planting a kiss on my lips. “Make up sex?” he asked, sounding hopeful and grinding our hips together. Our erections brushed and I let out a deep moan.  _So much for cuddling. Not that I’m complaining._

 

“I think that could be arranged,” I giggled, already abandoning my cereal and the coffee and beginning to lead him back to the bedroom.

 

The second the door was closed, our boxers were on the floor and Matthew was sprawled out on the bed for me, completely naked and willing. “Fuck me,” he breathed, and I quickly threw my body on top of his, our mouths latching together like our lives depended on it. Our hard cocks rubbed, and Matt let out high pitched whimpers, echoing around the room. “Dom. Inside me. Now.” 

 

I smiled at him smugly, and before he could sense what I was about to do, my head was down, past his cock and his balls, and my tongue was pushing through the tight ring of muscle surrounding Matt’s opening. “HOLY FUCKING SHIT,” he screamed as I thrusted my tongue deep inside him, tasting the smell that was 100% Matthew. My Matthew. My head reached up to his cock, and I began to stroke lazily. “Dom. Need your cock,” he panted, his hands gripping my hair. I lapped at MAtt’s insides for a bit, enjoying hearing the loud and anxious whimpers he let out when my tongue was inside him like that. I let my tongue slip out of him, and quickly moved back up his body, attacking him with my lips.

 

“You dirty boy,” I growled into him. “Tasting yourself on my lips.”

 

“Mmmmm.” He let out a deep moan, one I swear you would hear from a porn star. “Dom. Fuck me.”

 

“What’s the magic word?” I teased, giving his cock a big squeeze.

 

“Oh, please, fuck, Dom. Fuck me please.”

 

His moans made me so fucking horny, and I reached blindly onto his side table where I knew he kept condoms and lube at all times.

 

“So beautiful,” he moaned as I rolled the condom on and slicked myself up. I moved over him, and with one smooth motion, pushed inside him past the tight ring of muscle, penetrating him deep. My hips picked up a steady rhythm, the sounds of moans and skin against skin filling the room.

 

“You’re so fucking tight Matthew,” I panted into his mouth as our tongues moved across one another’s. “Missed fucking you.”

 

There were few times when I could last a long time with Matt. Those were the nights where we both felt extremely romantic, and I had admit, I loved those nights. It was nice just to take our time with each other, make love slowly and intimately with hushed breaths and sweet kisses. Tonight was not one of those nights. After going weeks without any physical contact with him, just being inside him, feeling his muscles squeeze me, was more than enough to bring me to the edge. 

 

“Come with me baby,” I whispered, taking hold of his cock and stroking rapidly. I could feel my own orgasm heating up. He mewled, and just a few hard thrusts into Matt’s prostate and strokes of his thick, beautiful cock later, we were both coming hotly. Matt’s hands found their way into my hair again, and soon we were snogging again. I had yet to pull out of him; it was nice to just lay there, still inside him, kissing him everywhere on his mouth. A knock on the front door jolted us both and I was forced to quickly pull out.

 

“The hell is that?” Matt asked, confused. I watched as he pulled on his boxers and a tee shirt. “Fuckers, I was making out with my perfect boyfriend,” he mumbled to himself. 

 

I discarded the condom and pulled on my own clothes, and quickly walked with Matt to the front door. He swung the door open and I immediately wanted to slam it shut and run away.

 

“Dominic, wait,” my dad said, holding the door open. Matt glared at him from next to me, and I hoped my dad got a good look at the now black bruise on my cheek. Secretly, I also hoped he saw the love bites Matt had left on my neck just minutes ago. “Please Dom, just come home. Please. We have a lot to talk about.”

 

“We can talk right here,” Matthew said.  _Fucking god bless you Matthew James Bellamy. I love you so fucking much._  “I know you don’t agree with what I do with your son, but Mr. Howard, there’s no way I’m leaving him alone with you right now. I love him far too much to have you hurt him again.”  _He is so fucking perfect._

 

My dad looked nervously between us, and I waited for the look of disapproval. He shook his head, looking as if he was about to cry. I didn’t care. Not one single bit. “I’m so sorry, Dom,” he finally whispered. “I don’t know what got into me. I can’t believe I did that to you.” He reached up and brushed his fingers lightly across the bruise on my face, and I flinched away. “Your mother left. I don’t blame her. I’m so sorry for acting that way.”

 

Matt continued to glare at him whilst I stood wordless. “You gonna say anything else?” he questioned, pulling me closer into him. 

 

“Yes.” He turned to look at Matt. “Matthew, it’s going to be hard for me to deal with this. It’s all very foreign to me, but I’m willing to try. As long as you take care of my son, I don’t see any valid reason for me to withhold you from seeing him.” The words looked pained and forced, but it was a definite first step in the right direction for us to figuring this out. 

 

My eyes lit up, and Matt immediately brought our lips together. We kissed lightly and smiled into each other’s lips, right in front of my dad. He shifted nervously and stared at the ground. Served him right.

 

“I guess I’ll be going,” he said awkwardly, clearing his throat and turning to head back to his car. I watched him silently, Matthew forever at my side. Matthew. Matthew was still here. We were still together. My dad accepted us, with a bit of hesitation, but not enough that we couldn’t be together. This was going to work out after all!

 


	13. Chapter 13

“Like this?”

 

“No, Matt, love, watch me.” I placed my hand once again on my hockey stick, showing him how to properly hold it. It was difficult since everything was opposite due to me being left handed and him being right handed. He pouted, still unable to figure out how to position his left hand.

 

“How the fuck do you this?!” he exclaimed, growing more and more frustrated by the second. I couldn’t help but laugh at him; he was absolutely fucking adorable when he was upset like that. “I give up Dom, can we just skate and be cute together now?”

 

“Of course love,” I said, tossing our sticks over the wall and willingly grabbing his hand. We skated around the ice a few times, Matt throwing in random swirls, and the occasional kiss on the lips when we’d stop for a break. All around us people watched. Our story had spread like wildfire through town, and I felt like we were famous. Everyone knew about us, the storybook “forbidden love” shit that had taken over our entire lives. I had been worried, but going back to school on Monday with Matt’s hand in mine was the most amazing thing to experience ever. I finally got to experience what it was like to be in a meaningful relationship, walking him to class, sitting with him at lunch, kissing him in the morning, the afternoon, in between classes, anytime I could get my lips on his.

 

“Can you pick me up?” Matt asked as we skated side by side, our arms wrapped around each other’s waists.

 

Before he could think, I swept him off the ice and held him in my arms. I was thankful for his slim weight, and I easily skated around the rink with an armful of giggling and squirming brunette. I began to softly tickle his sides and his legs kicked out, skates flinging wildly. I laughed, and suddenly lost my balance. We both fell to the ice in a heap of giggles, our limbs tangled together on the ice. I smiled down at Matt, chunks of ice in his hair, big blue eyes staring straight at me. Then I realized; we were officially together. I could kiss him, right then, and no one could say anything about it. So I did.

 

I kissed him lightly, feeling the cold and wetness of the ice seeping into the knees of my jeans. His blue eyes fluttered as I left gentle pecks on his lips, until I heard someone clear their throat behind us. I pulled him up from the ice, and we brushed ourselves off before turning around and seeing Chris smiling at us. His arm was wrapped around the waist of a skinny brunette who I immediately recognized as one of Matt’s friends on the figure skating team, Kelly. I smiled widely at them. Chris gave us both a wink and skated off with Kelly attached to his arm the entire time.

 

“I think this is what perfection feels like,” Matt whispered in my ear as we began to slowly skate around again.

 

I smiled at him and nodded in a silent agreement, but he kept talking.

 

“I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world. We graduate from high school in two weeks, prom is this weekend, I  _somehow_ managed to make the first cut for the US figure skating team-”

 

“You WHAT?!” I screamed at him, spinning his body around and staring at his dancing wild eyes.

 

“I just found out this morning!”

 

“Matt...” I pulled him in for a huge hug. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

 

“Only because you tell me every single day,” he replied with a grin.

 

“Because it’s true! I love you and you’re the greatest boyfriend anyone could ask for.” Boy was I cheesy. I didn’t care one bit though, not when I found out that Matt would possibly make the US Olympic Team. “I get to go to Russia with you, right?”

 

“If you’re not already there,” he said, pointing at my State Championship sweatshirt. I rolled my eyes.

 

“Matt, no way in hell.”

 

“You never know.”

 

I shook my head at him, but couldn’t help but smile. There was no way I’d make the Olympic team in 2014, but if he wanted to think I would, I couldn’t help but let him. He was too damn cute to deny. “C’mere you,” I said, grabbing his sides and tickling a particular sensitive spot I knew he had on his ribs.

 

“Dom! Ahahahaha, Dommie!” he squealed, trying to squirm away. “Sto- DOM!”

 

I chuckled and finally released him and wrapped him up in my arms. I was feeling so cheesy, I just wanted to hug him every chance I got. We could finally be who we wanted to be with no limitations. We had the freedom to hold hands in public and go to school dances as a couple and kiss in the middle of the fucking ice rink in front of the entire fucking town and neither of us could give a single fuck. “Fuck, I love you,” I said, admiring the goofy smile adorning Matt’s flawless face.

 

“Dominic Howard?” came a stern voice from behind us. We were at the wall of the rink, right by the spectators stands. I turned around to see a man in a suit standing behind the wall.

 

“That’s me,” I said, a bit confused as to why a strange man was talking to me.

 

“Would you mind talking with me for a few minutes?”

 

“Oh, sure!” I turned to Matt. “Erm, I’ll be back in a few-”

 

“He can come, it’s fine,” said the man.

 

“Oh, okay,” I replied. Matt and I moved off the ice and followed the man to a table near the concessions. We sat down across from him, and that was when I finally recognized exactly who he was.

 

“Hi Dominic, my name is Richard Lyle. I’m the chief scout for the Los Angeles Kings.”

 

I was about to faint.

 

“Our scouters have been watching you all season, and after many good reports, I came to see for myself at the championship game last week. I have to say, I was incredibly impressed by your skills. You would certainly be a nice addition for our team.”

 

“Am I being pranked?” I asked suddenly, this whole scenario seeming way too good to be true. I turned to Matt. “Did you do this?”

 

Matt looked just as shocked as me, and shook his head. Richard smiled at the both of us, obviously pleased with our reactions.

 

“This isn’t a joke, I promise Dom. We understand that you will be attending school at UCLA and would like to be playing hockey for them, but we’d like to ask you to reconsider and possibly play on our amateur team for a bit, then our professional team in about a year or so.”

 

I felt light-headed and ended up tipping over in my seat. Matt reached out and grabbed me with a laugh. “Dom, love, give the man an answer!”

 

“Yes!” I shouted, a bit too loud than I would’ve liked. Richard laughed and handed me his card.

 

“We’ll talk more later. Obviously there are more steps that need to be taken and such, but it’d be stupid of us not to want you on our team.”

 

“Oh my god, thank you so much!” I squealed like an idiot. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Richard smiled, and with a handshake and a promise to keep in touch, he left the rink, leaving Matt and I too stunned to move.

 

“Did that seriously just happen?” I asked, completely out of breath from the pure shock of it.

 

“I’d better get season tickets, my little NHL superstar,” Matt said, pulling me into a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you.” He kissed my forehead but I was still too flabbergasted to say anything besides gibberish that just kind of fell straight out of my mouth with no thought at all. I was frozen still, trying to comprehend the last five minutes, but still unable to do so. In a year, I would be playing on a professional hockey team. My childhood dream was happening, and way earlier than I had ever thought it would.

 

“Matt, I can’t believe this is happening.”

 

“I can,” he said simply. The twinkling blue in his eyes told me he was being dead serious.

 

~

 

The doorbell echoed through the house and I nearly biffed it running down the stairs in my excitement. I caught my reflection in the mirror, and with a reassuring thumbs up from my dad, who was finally beginning to understand the whole thing, I opened the door to my absolutely gorgeous boyfriend waiting for me.

 

“Hello handsome,” he said lightly, walking inside and placing a soft kiss on my cheek and waving to my dad. My jaw dropped at his pure beauty. His dress pants were a rich black, and god were they  _tight_ , accenting that beautiful little butt of his. The rest of his outfit was perfect, from the crisp white shirt and black jacket, to the bright blue bow tie; the color of which couldn’t be more exact to his eye color. “You ready to go meet everyone and have the best night ever?”

 

“As ready as ever,” I replied.

 

“Wait, boys, don’t leave yet! I need a picture to show the whole family!” Mom said, running into the foyer with a camera in hand.

 

Matt and I stood against the door, our arms wrapped around each other. The scent of his cologne wafted into my nose, giving me a sense of relaxation but also arousal. We smiled for a few pictures, and then my mom was handing the camera to my dad.

 

“Robert, can you take one? I want a picture with my two favorite boys in the world!”

 

Matt and I shared a smile with each other, and stood on either side of my mom. My dad awkwardly took the picture, seeming slightly uncomfortable. He was trying though, and that’s all I could ask for.

 

When pictures were finally over, Matt and I got ready to go.

 

“Bye!” Mom said. “Have fun, be safe!”

 

“We will Mom!” I laughed over my shoulder.

 

“Use protection!” she called one last time.

 

“Susan!” screamed my dad. I turned around, seeing a bright red blush cover his entire face, my mom simply standing there giggling maniacally.

 

~

 

“Thank god that’s finally over,” Matt laughed as I slowed my flailing limbs after a random breakout of dance following the start of Thriller.

 

“Oh fuck off, you liked it,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and moving our hips in rhythm together.

 

“You’re so embarrassing,” he said with a smirk. I stuck out my bottom lip, pouting at him. “But it’s okay because I love you.”

 

“Nice save,” I said, capturing his lips in a quick kiss.

 

We danced around together to the end of Thriller, a few of the seniors forming a synchronized dance in the middle of the dance floor. Matt, Chris, Kelly, Tom, Tom’s new girlfriend Sarah, and I all formed a small group in the corner, Michael Jackson and Vincent Price’s voices echoing through the room as the song ended. Everyone was sufficiently covered in sweat, and as fun as I was having, I was glad when I glanced at the clock to see that the dance was almost over. I couldn’t wait to go home, take a nice shower with Matt, and fall asleep with him in my arms.

 

“One last slow one, so grab that special someone and make this evening important,” said the DJ.

 

A new song started, and by the opening piano part, my heart began to flutter as I immediately recognized the song. I thanked the heavens for my mom’s old collection of Motown, and the beauty of the song that fit so perfectly with this exact moment. Matthew looked around, confused, and I took his hand in mine.

 

“May I have this dance?” I whispered in his ear. He nodded and placed his hands around my neck as mine slipped to wrap around his waist. I began softly singing the words of the song into his ear, so that only he could hear them. I knew I was probably incredibly out of tune, but that wasn’t what mattered. The words floated into his ear, straight from memory as I held him as close to me as I could.

 

_“I'll never hear the bells if you leave me, I'll never hear the bells. Do you hear what I hear when your lips are kissing mine? Do you hear the bells honey? Do you hear them ringing when I'm kissing you baby? What do I have to do to make you feel the tingling too?”_

 

“Dominic...”

 

_“Can't you hear the bells honey? Say it's just as good to you as it is to me. I hear the bells, I hear the bells. Oh ringing in my ears, oh saying do you love me do you love me? Do you love me, do you love me, like I love you oh baby?”_

 

A kiss to the lips. We rocked back and forth amongst the other couples wrapped up in each other. Matt’s head rested quietly on my shoulder as we moved slowly, his light scruff rubbing at my neck. 

 

“You know when we were at the ice rink on Thursday, and I said that was what perfection was?” he whispered softly.

 

“Mmm,” I replied, not moving my hands from him. We stayed in our intimate position, letting the flow of other bodies push us across the floor.

 

“Well I lied.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” he said softly. “Because this right here...” His lips crashed against mine, moving slowly as our tongues met in the middle. We slowly moved to a bigger section of the crowd, so as not to get caught making out, which would get us kicked out of the dance altogether. We kept kissing for what felt like hours, until Matt finally pulled away, breathing heavily. “This is perfection.”


	14. Chapter 14

The clatter of hockey sticks against plexiglass and ice is such a welcoming sound to my ears, a sound I’ve grown so familiar with recently that it only reminds me of good times, of my home. I sit in my seat, watching the skaters intently. The roar of the Staples Center is something I am still not quite used to yet, at least not in this close of a proximity to the action. I feel like the players are going to crash through the siding and straight into me, causing a flurry of chaos to ricochet through the arena.   
  
I always feel the need to watch him, every game, every play. He tells me I am being ridiculous, an overprotective and worrisome boyfriend, but I can’t help it when I love him so much. My heart still flutters the same exact way it had the first time, when that blonde man skates out onto the ice before the game, in high school, wearing a dark green jersey with navy blue lettering, and now, a black jersey with silver lettering, a combination of colors known so well by the people of the city we decided to take permanent residence in.  
  
The last two years have literally been the epitome of crazy, as well as perfect. I probably should mention I got a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Games in Russia. By the way, this is Matt speaking now. Yes, hello it’s me. Anyway, straight out of high school, Dom and I moved in together. I know, sounds a bit... sudden, right? Well it wasn’t. It was ideal, absolutely perfect. I love every moment of living with him. We get by pretty easily, despite both being college students. The pay Dom gets for the Kings is, let’s just say, fair. Who am I kidding, it’s fucking incredible. We’re living the good life, like rock stars or celebrities, which I guess we kind of are. It’s pretty amazing being able to walk down the streets and have people know exactly who we are by our faces. I was scared at first, by all the publicity of us both being well-known athletes, but it turns out, Dom and I are perfect for this lifestyle. We thrive off of it, the television interviews, magazine photo shoots, all of it.  
  
Many people worried that all the fame and fortune would go to our heads, that we would become stuck up, living off of money and that eventually our relationship would fail. Boy were they wrong. Dom and I have a lot of money, yes, but we still manage a simple lifestyle, if you take away the fact that we travel across the country and overseas almost every month for games and competition. Our apartment is small, simply furnished, nothing flashy. We eat at normal restaurants, go to normal movie theaters, and do normal things.   
  
Wait, scratch that. The sex isn’t normal. Oh god no, it’s the last thing from normal or simple. The sex is amazing. If I could have sex with Dominic Howard every second of every day, then I would. Granted, my ass wouldn’t have it, but you know, we could switch off between top and bottom. This sounds kind of slutty doesn’t it? Sex all the time with a hot blonde who would gladly bend over for me any time I wanted. Kinky, right? Well, not always.  
  
Let’s take prom night as an example. Oh, senior prom, possibly the best night of my life. I’d say that was the night we very first “made love”. We’d had sex before, oh so many times, but making love was different; it was the slowest we’d ever gone, the most intimate we’d ever been. Looking back on it, it would make any person who has never had experience being a lovesick fool disgusted. We don’t care though; we’re in love, and if we weren’t, we’d simply have sex, not make love.  
  
There’s an extra side of our love making that Dom and I get a kick out of especially, and that’s the fact that the public knows we do it. Often. Ever since Dom officially came out, he’s been embracing the gay lifestyle, taking any opportunity he has to talk about me and us, which I have to admit makes me feel very happy inside. There’s something about gay relationships that the press really gets a kick out of, and the fact that ours is between two famous athletes and not just one means that we get a lot of attention. Where am I going with this again? Oh, right: Dom’s dad.  
  
Robert Howard really is a character. He tells us he accepts it, and I know he likes both Dominic and me, though Dominic and I together, he seems to have more trouble with. So, we take a lot of enjoyment in making him feel just a bit uncomfortable.   
  
The first time was the funniest and also probably the rudest, which consisted of “accidentally” leaving a bottle of lube and a dildo out on the coffee table when everyone came over for a family dinner, consisting of both the Bellamy household and the Howard household. My parents got a kick out of it, as well as Dom’s mom, but Robert was another story. I’ve never seen someone look so uncomfortable.  
  
After that time though, we’ve been a little bit nicer to him, leaving the sex toys out of sight, and instead just going for making out in front of him whenever it’s possible.  
  
“Be nice to Mr. Howard, this is a lot for him to go through,” Mom had said, which left us both in giggles, because she found it hilarious as well, seeing him stiffen up and look around the room as his (might I say gorgeous) son was lip locked with a tiny brunette who just so happened to be another man.  
  
Eventually he loosened up, and now he’s finally seemed to accept the fact that Dom is gay and that it will always be this way.  
  
He sits next to me now, in the VIP section of the Staples Center. The Kings are playing Montreal tonight, so we stand and remain quiet in respect as “O Canada” is sung, and then place our hands over our hearts as our own National Anthem echoes through the arena.  
  
Clapping follows, and pretty soon I am sitting down with Dom’s family all around me. I should probably mention something important; this is Dom’s first time playing with the professional team when all of his family has been here. I know he’s nervous, because he always is. He’s 20, a hell of a lot younger than his teammates, and he’s playing in the NHL. Oh and let’s not forget, he’s playing for a team that could very easily win the Stanley Cup this year, with how well their season has been so far. I know, look at me, so knowledgeable about a sport I literally couldn’t give a single shit about two years ago. Now I know probably everything there is about hockey, and Dom knows almost everything there is to know about competitive figure skating. Don’t tell anyone, but I think he might be a bit jealous of me at times, of all the glamour there is in my particular sport. I’ve come home from practice or school to find him flitting about in the bathroom, trying out some of the makeup I have in there for performances. I found it adorable of course, never being able to resist men in bright red lipstick, especially if it was him.   
  
“Is that Dom there?” Dom’s grandmother asks me, pulling me from my daydream. She’s pointing to the player with the number “8” on his jersey, little tufts of blonde hair just barely peeking from underneath his helmet. I nod, and she squeals, so excited to see her grandson doing his thing. “Oh look at him!” she says excitedly, and I smile brightly, throwing a wave to Dom as he skates right by us during warm ups, blowing us all an incredibly gay kiss. I love it, of course.  
  
The game is underway now, and we sit and watch, all alert. Dom is out on the ice a lot; of course he is, he’s the center, did I mention that? Yep, my boyfriend, the youngest player currently in the NHL, is the starting center for the Los Angeles Kings. Pretty impressive.  
  
The game goes on, and Dom makes two goals by the end of the second period. There’s absolutely no surprise there. I smile to myself while sharing a quick kiss on the cheek with Dom’s grandmother, who I might add is an incredibly lovely woman with an amazing taste for classical music. I smile proudly to myself, and remember a conversation I just had yesterday with Dom about having two goals in two periods.  
  
 _“Hat trick, hat trick!” I giggle, tickling his nipples while I sucked lightly on his neck._  
  
 _“Not gonna happen,” he whispers groggily, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “Many players get too caught up in the idea of one, you just gotta let it happen. It’ll happen if you’re ready, but if you’re too focused, it’s never going to happen.”_  
  
 _“Aw you’re no fun,” I say, kissing his nose. “I want to throw my hat down onto the ice!”_  
  
 _“You will one day, love, I promise. Now I have to shower and get ready for class, care to join?”_  
  
Dom has the puck in his possession, and he’s skating down the ice at an incredible speed. I hold my breath, and suddenly, the buzzer echoes through the arena and everyone cheers. Hates begin flying from nowhere out onto the ice, and I have to take a second to calm down and realize that he’s just gotten a hat trick. Suddenly I remember my own cap I’m sporting, and throw it down onto the ice wildly. Down below, his entire team has gathered in a huddle (or as I like to call it, a manly hug).  
  
His picture flashes up on the jumbotron and a feeling of pride swells in my chest. I’m hugging his entire family, even his dad, who I hated for a short period of time in my life. It’s too great a moment not to pass up, and I whip out my iPhone and kindly ask the gentleman in front of us to take a picture of the entire family, all the Howards and the one Bellamy, hat hair and all. We smile widely, and two short hours later, we’re all piled into a booth at Red Robin, enjoying the taste of greasy hamburgers, steak fries, and taking more pictures. This time, the man of the night is there, and I’m kissing him every time I can.  
  
As I move in to kiss Dom again, I feel a tug on my sleeve and look down to see a young girl looking up at me with big brown eyes. I look at her sweatshirt and smile. It says “Manhattan Beach Ice Skating Club”.  
  
“Hello,” I say sweetly, shifting to move Dom from my lap and smile down at her.  
  
“Are you Matthew Bellamy?” she asks softly.  
  
“Yes, I am,” I reply, giving her a big smile. She smiles back sheepishly, and hands me a picture of myself skating and a Sharpie pen.  
  
“Would you mind signing this?”   
  
“I’d love to!” I exclaim, taking the photograph and Sharpie from her. “What’s your name?” I ask.  
  
“Sasha.”  
  
 _“To Sasha,”_ I write.  
  
 _“Never give in, keep pushing until you have what you want._  
  
 _Best of luck, Matthew Bellamy.”_  
  
“Thank you!” she squeals, taking her pen and picture back. She smiles up at me, and I’m now aware that Dom is watching us both and smiling as well. “Who is he?” she asks, pointing to the beautiful blonde next to me.  
  
“This is my boyfriend, Dominic,” I say brightly, pulling him back into my side with a tight squeeze.  
  
Just then, Sasha’s mother comes walking up to us. “Sasha, sweetie, don’t talk to them.”  
  
“Oh it’s fine!” I say to her. “I love meeting young skaters, it’s fantastic.”  
  
She glares at Dominic and me, and I suddenly get the feeling that we are not wanted anywhere near her daughter. “I don’t think she needs to be talking to people who have such a negative influence on her,” she says flatly, leading a reluctant Sasha away from the table.  
  
“But Mommy!” I hear the girl say. “They love each other, isn’t that all that matters?”  
  
I frown, but am soon distracted by Dom’s father saying something to his son.  
  
“I can’t believe I used to be that disgusting and low,” he says. “Love is love, nothing should ever change that.”   
  
I can only smile at that. I have nothing to say to Dom’s dad, absolutely nothing, because he’s just made our lives perfect again.  
  
“I’m glad, Dad,” says Dom, squeezing me tight and pecking my lips.  
  
I’m glad too.


End file.
